Thoughtless
by Annorah
Summary: Being impulsive is commonly considered a deficiency amongst most people. Nevertheless, thinking too much when it comes to love may cause unnecessary confusion and pointless self-arguments. The heart has reasons that reason itself doesn't understand, and once in a while, listening to them might just be the wisest thing to do. ExpressShipping and ConductorShipping.
1. The First Hint

_[Edited]_

* * *

A pouting girl with curly, chocolate hair could be seen poking a frustrated boy's cheek over and over. "Oh, come on, Hilbert! I don't feel like going alone. Why don't you want to go with me?"

Hilbert let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed the young girl's wrist, mentally counting to five and trying to calm down a bit to prevent public murder. "Stop it, Hilda! If you keep doing that, I swear our friendship will be forgotten and so will my sanity!" he hissed, his cheeks flushed with vexation. Hilda stepped back with her hands up in defence. After taking a few breaths, her friend's appearance turned sort of peaceful. "Look, I can't go to the Battle Subway today. I'd like to, but I can't, okay?" the boy explained slowly, as if he was talking to a toddler. He paused to check his Xtransceiver. "You should go alone. I mean, you usually go with me, why don't you try the Single Trains for today?" he asked, still busy with the communication device.

Hilda looked down and folded her arms in a pensive manner. That meant a possible battle, or at least, a brief meeting with Ingo. Just thinking about him made her stomach churn anxiously, but her dislike for going without company was much stronger and uncomfortable than that. All right, that was a terrible lie. If Hilda had to be completely honest with herself, she'd rather go with someone else only to have an excuse for being there. In her mind, the reason 'I'm here to have fun beating the crap out of other trainers' didn't work. For no one. Don't judge her though. That happens to most girls who have a little crush on a man twice their age, or better said, a crush in general; they try not to be so obvious. And in this case, Hilbert had been Hilda's excuse to hang out with the Subway Bosses from the beginning. More precisely, since seven months ago, when they narrowly reached the status of acquaintances. But now, despite the confidence that had blossomed between them, she still felt a little embarrassed without a significant justification.

"Hilda, are you listening? Stop daydreaming!

"... Eh?"

"Geez! I said I'm leaving! Cheren and Bianca want to take a walk around the city, and you know that girl loves Nimbasa with all her organs." He shivered a little at the thought of the hyperactive blonde girl and her special love for the ferris wheel. "Anyway, are you coming with us or do you prefer the Battle Subway?"

There wasn't much to think about. Hilda really liked the couple, and sure, they were a great pair of awesome childhood friend and all, but that certainly didn't compare to how much she liked the older Subway Boss. Hilda wasn't the kind of girl who put the man with whom she had developed an intense infatuation first than everyone, but she had to admit that the idea sounded tempting.

It was a little strange though. Unlike the only short-lived crush she had experienced before, Hilda used to be a little afraid of Ingo rather than attracted to him when first meeting. It wasn't until a month later that Hilda considered –in addition to fear– the chance of being greatly interested in him at the same time. Truth be told, both twins used to scare her to death at the beginning. Hilda merely got used to the younger twin's way of invading people's personal space and his almost permanent smile and good mood. Emmet was like a physically developed child in most aspects, and perhaps that was the reason for them getting along so well; having him around was amusing, especially when he experimented once of his childish attacks, as Ingo labelled them.

But in spite of finding the younger Subway Boss so kind, like a bigger brother, the situation was completely different with the older twin. He was overly serious at times, so cold and quiet that talking to him took Hilda a whole lot of courage. However, she couldn't help finding him hellishly appealing, and for sure, the conversations they both shared in the car after he swept it with her Pokémon had something to do with that. There had been a few times when he had smiled and even chuckled or laughed here and there, totally leaving behind the book he was reading. And even if she never got to defeat him, those chats made it up for the lost battle. Oh, Hilda actually did miss those little talks. Unfortunately, she didn't take the Super Single Trains so often back then. The last time had been two weeks before, which she found it simply too much, but her paranoia wouldn't let her be. No matter how much Hilda needed to met Ingo again, she just was unable to pay him a visit out of the blue.

"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN?!"

"Gaaah!" Hilbert watched his dreamy friend give a startled, short leap. "I'm so sorry!"

"WHEN A PERSON IS TALKING, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LISTEN. DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER TEACH YOU THAT?

"Sorry, sorry!" Hilda repeated, looking around sheepishly at the people sending them the nastiest stares. "But stop yelling. We are in public!

Hilbert's tantrum ceased. He rubbed his eyes and inhaled deeply like a worn out runner. "I wonder how much time you would have stayed like that without further interruption," he commented aloud, calm in the surface. "I'll ask one last time. Are you coming or not?"

All right, now there was much to think. To go or not to go, that was the question.

"If I was you, I'd head to the Subway," Hilbert had unexpectedly suggested. "I believe you need some training, for the cause."

Hilda appeared to be contemplating his words. "Hey, that really sounds like a potential excuse."

The boy quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," Hilda said quickly. "You're right. I'll pass this one. I'd rather go to the Battle Subway; I want a challenge again." Yeah, sure. "Tell the happy couple I say hi!"

"Fine. Try not to leave your body empty again. Something bad could happen to you," Hilbert half scolded, half advised with a bored expression, already spinning on his heels. "See you later."

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try. Bye!"

He left.

Hilda hesitated for an instant, but she eventually turned around and set off to the Gear Station. _It wouldn't be the first time you're going on your own, so don't be such a drama queen and just go._Yeah, she had found the spirit. _My intentions aren't noticeable. I'm merely paranoid._ The young girl kept walking with that phrase stored in her mind until she reached her destiny. Thanks to her iron will, she had managed to silence her mind and unwilling thoughts in the way, gaining a nonchalant attitude... that expectedly disappeared just as it came. Standing on the cement stairs by the entrance of the large building, Hilda checked the time nervously.

_13:46_

They had to be in a break. Meaning there wasn't anything wrong if she showed up, was it?

No, absolutely no. She had showed up before with Elesa, who originally had initiated the recurrent habit of hanging out with the twins during their lunch. Hilda hadn't been alone, but she _had_arranged this sort of gatherings with the men. All right, enough thinking. Enough excuses. She was doing this. The younger Subway Boss had offered this to Hilda more than once. She evidently was allowed to drop by on her own. And so, the trainer stepped into Gear Station and headed to Ingo's office past the halls and rooms for employees at the end of the ground floor, where the eldest twin would normally read and sign some papers as usual while having lunch in his brother's company. Hilda found it common. A man like him would always ignore the real definitions of the words 'rest' and 'break' despite the obvious connection.

The flustered girl was marching across the empty halls when she felt someone grab one of her arms from behind, and all at once, she was turned around, lifted in the air and carried on a man's shoulder. Hilbert's advice echoed through her mind suddenly and this time his words didn't sound so pointless. To her luck, the person who was carrying her was just an innocent maniac.

"AH! Emmet, let me go!" She was determined to make it sound like an order, but failed miserably.

The Subway Boss grinned madly, hugging the girl's waist and legs so she couldn't escape. "Say the magic word and I'll take your order into account."

"Wha...? No way! Let me go _now_or I'm going to start kick–!

_"Say it."_

Hilda sighed softly. "Please?" she begged in a resigned, joyful tone. Her feet finally touched the floor. "You'll never stop doing that, won't you?"

"You'll never stop enjoying it, won't you?" The man in white countered, a playful smile curving his lips.

Hilda snorted. "Shut up."

"You were going to my brother's office, right?"

"Yeah. I was going to surprise you two, but I guess I'm not half as good at you."

Emmet chuckled and put his arm around Hilda's shoulders. "I was heading there too. Let's go"

They walked the short remaining distance to the office together. _Why am I doing this? I can still escape..._ The cheerful man pushed the door open, practically announcing their entrance to the whole region. _Too late... Never mind._

"Brother, look what I brought!"

"Please, not another lost Pokémon..." came the weary response from the back of the bright office.

"Oh, no. This is so much better. Hilda is here!"

The spent tone persisted. "You didn't kidnap her, did you?"

Emmet giggled. "Nope"

"He tried though," Hilda commented in a rare, shy voice, not fully stepping inside.

The moment she saw the older twin, her face instantly got hotter and her stomach churned oddly. As any other day, all would be about nerves at the beginning. It was just a matter of time. With a few minutes, and in addition, with Emmet's presence, the teen would easily work out a way to leave her sheepishness behind. Hilda spotted the man in black was sitting at the desk, reading some papers, and noticed he hadn't looked at her or at his younger brother yet. There was a cup of coffee near the stack of unread papers, along with his cap and gloves. Ingo's gaze never left those darn papers, but Hilda could see the faint smile on his face after hearing her voice. And that was enough for her. No more fake excuses.

The Subway Boss in white hung his cap, gloves and coat from the rack in the corner of the room, then laid down on the couch below the only window while Hilda looked around the office. She really liked the way it was always organized. Maybe that's why they took their break there. Taking a chair and turning it in the opposite direction of the desk, Hilda sat down in a straddling pose, placing her crossed arms onto its backrest and on top of them, her chin._Time to kill the tension._"So, have you two eaten?"

"Yes" chirped Emmet, rubbing his face in a cushion. "Which reminds me it's time for a nap."

"Don't make yourself so comfortable. We are leaving in a couple of minutes." Ingo's gaze finally focused on Hilda. "How strange. You are here without Elesa."

In the same position, she shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to surprise you. Plus, I was bored."

He chuckled. "I am glad we can entertain you..." the Subway Boss took a pen, signed the paper he had been reading and moved it aside. "I haven't see you in a few days, are you here to challenge me again?"

"She's probably here for a new beating up," the half-awake man on the couch mentioned smugly.

Hilda narrowed her eyes at his nearly sleeping form. "_Actually_..." Her eyes returned to Ingo. "I'm here to bother you a bit. No challenges. My team needs a rest." She lifted her head and added, sarcastically, "if you know what that means, of course."

Ingo raised an eyebrow. Those kind of comments about his non-existent tendency to rest would never cease. "Bother me?"

"Yeah. I've been following around that thing too much lately." She pointed to Emmet. "It's your turn now."

A sincere smile appeared on the man's face. "As you wish... Now, 'that thing' must get up."

"I'll do it if you say the magic word."

Emmet looked up at his brother with a goofy smile, but upon finding nothing else than a particularly serious frown, he chose to get up quietly, mumbling an 'okay' under his breath. Hilda giggled a little at that scene. Both men put on whatever clothing they had taken off and came back to their duties along with their friend.

.

Watching through the window wasn't entertaining in the least. All was literally grey outside.

However, the way the car shook because of a surprising change of direction didn't get old and would mostly cause Hilda to experiment an odd, not totally unpleasant feeling. She wasn't sure which was the reason of said sensation though; the shaking, or the man's very presence. Aside for the engine's sound, the car was silent in a strange yet comfortable manner. After an absorbing conversation about their past battles with certain Gym Leaders, both people were sitting on the blue seats facing each other.

Hilda just wanted to break the cosy silence and get closer to the man across her. _'Mmm, let's see. What would Elesa do?'_Oh, no. Scrap that. The blonde Gym Leader wasn't the best role model in this case, considering she was excellent at attracting men but not interested in keeping them at all. Besides, she had known the twins for years; a very different situation. Hilda sighed, her inner voice defeated, and stood up to take a better seat, precisely next to Ingo, perhaps a tad closer than necessary. Her hands immediately fell onto her thighs and their legs touched slightly. She felt cheeks heat up when he looked at her, then down at their legs, but she somehow overcame it. "You aren't reading a book. Weird."

_Where the hell did that come from?_

The corner of his lips raised and he stared intently. "I have been reading too much recently. I think my eyes might be quiet tired."

Hilda scowled at the obvious fact. "No. _You_are tired, and it doesn't surprise me. Staying until two in the morning reading those damn papers and sleeping less than five hours isn't healthy."

"We have already discussed this, Hilda. It is part of my work."

The teen folded her arms. "Do you take naps, at least?"

"Unwittingly, only. I am not supposed to sleep while I am working, Hilda," he answered, looking away.

"Workaholic," muttered Hilda, blue eyes holding a dull glint of concern.

The Subway Boss put a pin on his pride and glanced at their legs again. He waited for Hilda to notice, waited for her to put some distance, but that moment didn't come. Despite the fabric of his uniform, the spot Hilda's skin was touching began to tingle. Ingo couldn't understand why he hadn't put a stop to their actions, couldn't think straight about it. Without reasoning, he moved his leg softly, brushing hers a bit more.

Unsure about the man's intentions, Hilda wondered whether or not she was hallucinating, but she gave in too, and moved even closer. Her heartbeat increased drastically as he let out a weak gasp, silenced by the sound of engines.

Had some people been there, they surely wouldn't have realised what was going on. Only they were able to perceive the slow motion in which their legs brushed against each other, and despite of being totally out their minds, deep inside, they knew the other was allowing the contact to happen. No matter how discreet, there was much more to the touch than what met the eye; it was a mutual display of affection, and it felt unbelievably pleasing...

Or so it did, until the man in black realised what they were doing. What _he_was doing.

Moving aside, he put an ending to the suggestive contact. Their gazes met for a brief second and then Ingo looked away, once again, as though nothing had happened. They remained quiet for a long time, Hilda mentally praying for a challenger to enter the car right there and revive their surroundings.

It was not until Ingo gathered the shredded remnants of his courage and turned his gaze to the embarrassed trainer that the atmosphere lit up. "Are you planning to challenge the League Champion?" he asked in a desperate attempt to dispel the awkward tension. "You have already won all the badges a long time ago."

Understanding his purpose, she nervously played along "Eh... I-I've considered it, yes, but Alder is a tough opponent... I mean, he's the Champion and can defeat whoever comes across him, whereas there are a few people that I still can't handle in a battle, like you, for example." She fidgeted with her hands. "I-I don't think I'm ready."

Her stuttering proved that the conversation wasn't much of a distraction. "Well, I believe you are close to defeat me," he mentioned openly, catching her full attention.

"... What makes you think that?"

"Our battles. You are the only adversary who manages to defeat my first two Pokémon, aside from Emmet and Elesa."

"Yeah, your Chandelure is way too strong. Samurott did his best last time an with type advantage and all couldn't win."

"But you two were excellent. I dare to say you almost won last time."

"Thank you." Hilda put her arms behind her head. "You know, when I finally manage to beat you up, Alder is going to be the next. What do you think?"

Ingo let out a chuckle. "I am very flattered. A battle with me defines your choice? You will need a lot of lucky charms though."

Without moving from their spots, they kept on chatting about countless subjects, ranging from battle strategies to a typical day in their lives. Other than their little confusing moment, Hilda didn't avoid any topic. They knew there would be enough time to think about it later, after all.

They solely needed an instant they could squander on thoughts.


	2. Stay the Night

_[Edited]_

* * *

Thunders were echoing through the night. The wind was blowing hard and lightning were flashing in the dull, clouded sky. It still wasn't raining, but undoubtedly a downpour was coming.

Outside the Gear Station, Hilda watched the whole show, shivering and wondering why suddenly the night had turned so cold in the middle of spring. The girl had been staying at home to be her mother's company during mornings and get a needful rest. Travelling was refreshing, and she needed more practice to face the Pokémon League, but screw it, she had told herself for the time being; Hilda missed terribly to sleep at home and spend a couple of hours with her mother. It had been almost one year without her. Besides, she had gone around the region and trained during her recess too, always coming back when the sun went down.

One could assume that the last thing would be complicated that particular night.

She should have gone home earlier, but having such a good time didn't let her mind think about leaving and, at any rate, since the afternoon had been bright and enjoyable, there wasn't a possible way to predict the fierce storm before it started. She also discovered, at last, that thinking about excuses and how obvious her actions could be or not wasn't useful at all. Hilda had spent hours with Ingo and had been able to watch all the battles. She tried very hard not laugh in his opponent's faces when they lost, but nobody exactly put up a good fight. It was funny to see how they cursed at the air after their Pokémon missed its target, or the soulless expression on their once confident faces. Hilda didn't like to witness people's misfortune, but some of them looked just pathetic. Perhaps she hadn't won, but a good battle couldn't be discussed, and those ones were undistinguished, as if they didn't want to make a greater effort than that.

Challenging Ingo again after seeing his strategies from another angle would be pretty interesting.

"Hilda, you are shivering! Do you want my coat?"

The trainer turned around to face the twins, rubbing her forearms to create some heat. Apparently, they had already checked all was in order and were ready to go.

"No, I'm okay Emmet. Don't worry! I'm already leaving anyway."

The younger twin folded his arms and stared at her with a dead serious expression. Hilda thought it should be included on her personal list about the murkiest things ever seen.

"It's twelve o'clock and it's going to be a storm. Do you actually think I'll let you go?"

"... Yes?"

"It was a rhetorical question and you know it! You're not going anywhere!"

Hilda took a step back, her eyes going wide. That man wasn't supposed to shout in reality, and if that ever occurred, it should be in different circumstances such as one of his idiotic arguments with Elesa, which would normally turn into a winless brawl.

"Chill out! Nothing will happen!" she reassured, making a motion with her hand to show calmness.

The taller man narrowed his eyes and then shook his head. "You'll stay with us," he stated, looking at his brother behind him. "Right, Ingo?"

The man's shoulders tensed before each cell of his body froze. Although he didn't want something bad happening to Hilda, there was no way for her to stay with them. For some unknown reason, he didn't expect a situation like that to end well, which surely had something to do with the fact that the teen had managed to psych him out in the afternoon, and it was most probably to happen again. "I... don't believe that it is a convenient idea, brother."

"WHAT? Why not? She can't go flying! It could be dangerous!"

Well, Emmet had a point. Flying on your Swanna's back during an apocalyptic storm sounded kind of risky. It didn't matter how many times Hilda had done it before, if both of them could prevent an incident, they would. However, that didn't washed away Ingo's concerns.

"I am aware of the danger, but… I don't believe her mother would like the idea of her daughter staying the night with two men."

"Hey, problem solved! I can stay at the Pokémon Center!"

"And what did you solve, exactly? A lot of trainers are going to stay the night there if a storm is coming. There won't be an available room."

"That is... actually true," Ingo admitted slowly, his words on the edge of trailing.

"Wow, that must have killed you inside, brother… anyways, do you accept, Hilda?" the younger twin went on.

"Um, I don't know. I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't! What makes you think you will be a bother? Come on, you promised you would stay someday! Please!"

Hilda's eyes drifted to the pleading man's face. All the remainders of his transient seriousness were gone, replaced by those damn puppy eyes. She just couldn't say no to them. Crap, I hate his power to get all he wants. Hilda let out a sigh and glanced at Ingo. "And what do you say? Would I be a bother?"

The tone of her voice prompted him to wonder if he had been a bit uncouth. Perhaps she misunderstood his intention. "No, of course not. I would like you to stay with us," he answered honestly, visibly worried. Deep inside, something was screaming he would regret it.

The teen raised her hands to her hips and turned to Emmet, a weak smile creeping up the corner of her lips. "Well, you got what you wanted."

"As usual," he chuckled, taking off his coat. "Now, we should go. I mean, I'd rather have a shower at home, in private." She handed it to Hilda, and she reluctantly put it on. The cackle she heard only encouraged the presumably fact that it looked ridiculously huge on her, and she realised it dangled only a few inches above the floor. The collar was a little high, its sleeves were way too long, and let's not even talk about the shoulders area. Her eyes narrowed in the direction of the man who had no intentions on holding his laughter.

She marched ahead, her features going to a blunt, cutting scowl . "Can't we just go?"

Both men followed after her, one smiling at how cute and innocent the teen looked, and the second one laughing irrepressibly at her unwilled preposterousness.

.

They entered the apartment reception counter with wet clothes. It just took less than fifteen minutes to arrive, but it had started to rain when they were practically by the corner.

The taller men and the girl stepped into the lift. Their clothes weren't totally soaking wet, just heavier and somewhat sticky. Hilda took off the large coat that already felt burdensome without being damp, handed it to its respective owner, mumbling an almost inaudible 'thank you', and removed her cap without wasting a second. Her hair was lightly messy due to the wind and the previous removal, and of course the rain did its work too.

"Damn it, we were so close," muttered the younger twin, looking down at his wet clothes, his dampish coat hanging from his left arm.

"It could have gone worse," Ingo said aloud, not paying full attention, his eyes inspecting the girl in front of him. Her gaze was lost, staring into space, a strand of damp hair on her face. He raised his hand and barely touched her cheek, moving away the lock of chocolate hair. Hilda sent him a questioning glance, accidentally giving him the impression that his touch was unwanted. Needless to clarify, he lowered his hand.

The lift reached the fifth floor and they stepped out. Ingo pulled out a key from his pocket, unlocked a nearby door and entered the apartment, his brother and the trainer following him.

Hilda looked around. At plain sight, the place looked far too organized, cosy, fairly modern, and yet, very simple. The current room had a picture window on the right side. There was a door next to it, in the corner, which directed to the balcony, and next to the huge window were positioned two armchairs and a couch in front of the TV. A small table with a lamp on top took up space beside the couch. On the left side, there was a large shelf with some books and decorative objects, and alongside there was an arch that led to a different room. Hilda supposed it was the kitchen, since she saw several kitchen cabinets and a fridge from where she was standing. As for the opposite direction of the main door, there was another arch. This one led to a hall which connected the living room with the rest of the place. Two doors could be seen facing each other; one directed to bathroom while the other directed to a study room. The end of the hall split in two directions, where Hilda assumed the men's rooms were. The paint of the walls was completely white and the floor was dark wooden. One could see the intense storm through the picture window, and considering the city was full of buildings, the sight wasn't exceptionally impressive, but common people might find it quite likeable.

"Would you like some coffee, Hilda?" asked Ingo.

"No, it's okay. Thank you..." the girl paused and clutched her cap softly. "Who drinks coffee before going to sleep, anyways?

"He does," said Emmet, leaving his coat, cap and gloves onto one of the armchairs.

'Of course he does,' thought the girl, rolling her eyes. The man was a coffee addict and that would never change.

Emmet sat down on the couch and kicked off his shoes. Taking the remote control on the aforementioned table, he turned on the TV and tapped the spot next to him tantalizingly. "Come here, we'll find something good to watch."

"Yes! I haven't watched TV for a decade!" Hilda smiled widely and rushed to the couch, taking a seat and resting her cap next to her. She had been at home recently, but the TV had been kind of forgotten.

Ingo went to the kitchen while they looked for a programme, a film or something that could turn worthy of watching. By that time, the storm didn't sound so terrible anymore, though a few thunders could be hear every now and then.

"Hey, go back one channel."

"... What's this, Hilda?"

"Haven't you seen this show? It is about a boy who travels through all regions. I used to watch this show before I went on my own journey. It's pretty popular amongst people of all ages."

"Ah, yes, I have seen it... but I think this episode is an old one."

The screen showed a confident trainer with spiky, black hair commanding a Pikachu, most likely confronting someone essential.

"Hilda..."

The girl looked quickly at Ingo. He was holding a cup of coffee, a serious expression, as usual. "Yeah?"

"Will you be fine sleeping in the couch? Because you may sleep in my bedroom if–"

"Or in mine!" the man in the couch interrupted without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Forget it, your room is a disaster. She won't sleep there."

The petite girl on the couch laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be okay in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Do you know where have I slept before? A couch sounds like heaven. Besides, it doesn't matter how little you sleep, you should sleep on your own bed, not in the couch."

"But my brother didn't say he would sleep on the couch," the younger twin teased, digging his elbows on the girl's side, flashing a taunting smirk at her.

Hilda gaped at him, cheeks flushed badly, before hitting him on the arm as hard as her strength allowed it.

Ingo covered his face with his free hand in a piteous attempt to hide the noticeable blush spreading all over. "Emmet..."

Exultant over his accomplishment, the younger Subway Boss didn't see the blow coming. "I'm sorry! I couldn't resist it," he said between giggles. "You should get a glimpse of your faces right now."

His flustered brother ran the same hand through his hair and pulled rather hard, hissing and wincing, displaying his obvious discomfort and nerves. "Don't go to sleep so late, please. You won't wake up on time if you do."

"As you wish, my dear brother."

Hilda watched the man in black disappear down the hall. She sighed and sent Emmet her most horrid glare. "You are such moron. I sometimes feel like kicking you down there until you pass out."

"Oh, that's so sweet. I love you too."

Hilda narrowed her eyes one last time and finally decided that most of his words were better to ignore. "So, tell me. What time is he going to sleep?"

"I don't know. Maybe two or three in the morning," he answered with a shrug, his gaze never leaving the screen.

"Why so late? Does he suffer from insomnia?

"No, no, he just... does my paperwork." He pointed the remote control at the TV, turned the volume up, lowered his voice considerably. "I tried to convince him to stop more than once, but it was in vain."

Hilda scooted closer. "What do you mean?" she asked, her careful tone matching his friend's.

"What I mean is that Ingo doesn't want me to do my part, as it should be, thus I can sleep more. Since I need to wear glasses to read, he prefers to do it himself. My brother shows affection by those kind of actions."

"Well, your brother doesn't resemble a man who shows affection by hugging or something that implies physical contact," Hilda commented, her mind recalling a certain moment along the afternoon, only to block it before she had the chance to slide into her world of erotic fantasies. That wasn't an appropriate time to think about physical contact and Ingo.

"No, that's what I do. His ways are more meaningful… and it used to be worse in the past. For example, he used to cover me at work whenever I was too tired or sick. At first it was okay to have a free day every so often, but it came to a point in which I started feeling guilty. Even though he never complied, I'm well aware that this work is for two people."

The girl's expression was that of a person who just had heard a confession that nobody should have revealed. Most of the time, Ingo didn't expose himself as a caring person. If anything, he seemed pretty distant. But you don't judge a book by its cover, right? Hilda let her head rest on Emmet's lap in search of time to process the information, bending her legs, trying not to touch the couch with her boots. Emmet caressed her hair in response. Hilda knew Ingo was rather self-contained and... somewhat complex. Regardless of how much time they spent, there wasn't a specific way to learn about him. It was easier when it came to Emmet. They would talk and that would be enough to figure out his personality, his likes or dislikes, way of thinking, and personal issues. For instance, in spite of looking 'happy' as usual, Hilda could tell that the younger twin got depressed sometimes and that he was also capable of having a serious conversation if it was really –and I mean really– necessary.

On the other hand, Ingo demanded more observation. You couldn't really get to know him through words. You had to pay attention to every single action or expression. The faint smiles, unusual laugh, ever-present frown, and particularly piercing glares. All was important and Hilda liked it that way. But what she liked most was achieving her goal and getting to discover more about him, by herself. "I always thought his way to show affection was through important actions, although I wasn't so sure..." She shook her had. "Anyway, we should better watch TV and stop talking about your brother. I know him enough, and he will rip out your limbs if he finds out about this conversation..."

"One by one," Emmet chuckled, combing his long fingers through her soft hair. As well as Hilda, he focused on the TV.

Speaking about him was unnecessary. Eventually, Hilda would find out more about him on her own, just like she had been doing in the past seven months.

.

The storm appeared to be fading.

Ingo sat at the desk inside the obscure study room illuminated by a nearby pedestal lamp, only wearing his shoes, pants and shirt. He had read the paper two times already, and still couldn't concentrate on the text written. He only was conscious of its direct relation to a minor problem in one of the lines, of the not so frequent thunder echoing in the background, the night quickly wearing on, and the occasional laugh coming from te living-room. However, what he heard more were his own thoughts about her. Instead of doing what he was supposed to, Ingo had been playing in his head that moment in the afternoon over and over, daydreaming about feeling their legs brushing together once more right there, in his own study-room.

Ingo knew that the contact hadn't been so suggestive, and that on the surface, it actually had been all but innocent. The true problem were the intentions behind. They were insanely stimulating, left to much for the imagination. How could it be that his previous fantasies about Hilda had ended up with him feeling her smooth skin, inhaling her intoxicating scent, kissing those inviting, unexplored lips all over, again and again and yet again? He knew those sinful thoughts were a consequence of his own body and human needs, but what Ingo couldn't understand was why he desired her touch that badly and urgently. It made him sick and disgusted with himself. Hilda was just fifteen years old, for god's sake! He was twenty-nine, practically twice her age! There was only one fitting word to describe his posture, and the more Ingo thought about it, the more repugnant he felt. How had that happened? Ingo had regarded Hilda as beautiful since they first met despite her lack of external femininity, but it was supposed to remain platonic. Regardless of Hilda's smart and lovely nature, there wasn't an excuse to feel that way about a youth like her. There were good days in which Ingo would allow his thoughts to convince him that this nonsense was his mind playing a trick on him, but then there were bad days like this, in which his thoughts would betray him, filling his mind with lust, desire and unacceptable wrongness and–

Damn it! The man had finished reading the report for the third time only to realise he hadn't paid attention at all. This freaking moral dilemma was distracting him to no end.

Defeated, Ingo rested his elbows on the desk and laid his forehead on his palms. There was so much that needed to be read or signed and he hadn't even accomplished half of his work due to his absent-minded state. Otherwise, on a good day, he would have already finished.

"I'll never understand why Ash didn't accept to be a Frontier Brain..."

After hearing his brother's voice coming from the hall, Ingo came back to reality. It sounded like Emmet wasn't alone.

"I told you, he didn't accept because the show would have ended too soon."

"Even so, I insist. Well, are you sure you will be okay?"

"Yes, don't worry and go get some rest. I saw you about to fall asleep several times."

"Fine, fine! My room it's down the hall, to the right, just in case. Feel free to take something from the fridge or whatever..."

"I suppose I won't do that, but thank you. See you in the morning!"

All he could hear next were steps and a door opening, then closing, but he mentally couldn't locate where Hilda might be. The older twin tried to leave behind all thoughts connected with her and focused for the fourth time on the report. It worked... until he remembered a certain girl would be sleeping in his couch. He slumped on the backrest and looked at the roof, grunting mildly. That last thought had just hit him, she was actually staying the night. She was, for real, sleeping on his couch, just in the room next to him.

Silence cracked when someone knocked at the barely open door. Not by chance she was asleep.

"May I come in?"

Ingo swallowed hard. Why wouldn't she cooperate? "... Yes"

Hilda carefully pushed the door to the full extent, stepped in and closed it without turning around. She looked at the empty cup near the papers and then at the taller man sitting at the desk chair, who looked pretty tired and stressed to her suddenly serious eyes. "Why in the world aren't you sleeping?" Hilda asked, putting her hands on her hips. An expression close to a frown was plastered on her face.

The Subway Boss felt his stomach twist at the mere sight of the girl and her expression without the cap. For some reason, her appearance seemed less childish, as if she wasn't a teen, but instead a gorgeous, young woman. She looked more attractive than severe, and that unfortunately encouraged more negative verdicts against himself. "I should probably ask you the same question," he teased, trying hard to conceal his yearning for the girl in front of him.

Hilda narrowed her eyes and took a few steps to the desk. "Go to sleep, now," she commanded, each world uttered with firmness.

"It is not so late, Hilda," he protested, never moving his eyes away from hers.

She leaned her hands on the desk and bowed a little with the same lingering expression. Ingo couldn't figure out if he was going through a delirium or if the person facing him was the real Hilda. He didn't have an explanation to the sudden physical difference product of his imagination. Oh, his urges knew no boundaries, they would soon be uncontrollable. Hilda was just sending him to sleep, and the man couldn't help paying so much attention to her beauty and his not suitable reactions. How much he liked and desired her wasn't important, because the wicked matter was his whim for it to be mutual.

"Didn't you notice that it's three in the morning?"

Ingo peeked up at the clock hanging in the dark grey wall. Had he really been trying to read for three hours straight with no accomplishment? Had he been thinking that much? "Actually, I didn't," the man admitted, "So if that is what you want, I will go to sleep."

Feeling relieved, the girl smiled and stepped back a bit from the desk. "You chose to obey, how wise," she said with a tint of smugness.

The Subway Boss raised his eyebrows and reached out for a pen. "Just give me five more minutes, please. I will be done soon."

Hilda growled loudly and sat down on the nearby couch. She doubted they were five literal minutes. "Okay, I'll wait here then."

Ingo nodded and returned to the paper, writing something in the process while Hilda looked around the room. She definitely liked that one much more. There was a large shelf full of books next to her and two long vertical windows with obscure red curtains on the wall behind the desk. The living room was nice, but the study-room was far more relaxing and the darkness made it a better place to sleep. Once finished the examination, Hilda let out a yawn, covering her mouth with one hand. By that time, the storm had already vanished, leaving only the strong chilly wind to blow noisily.

Deciding that five minutes would turn into half an hour –if she was lucky– the young trainer took the two cushions to rest her head on them and laid down gingerly so her boots wouldn't touch part of the couch. Eventually, the sound of the wind and the clock ticking tuned some a sort of lullaby and the girl fell asleep against her will. However, she was awakened shortly after by a hand fondling her arm.

Blue eyes snapped open to find a crouched man offering a warm smile. "You fell asleep."

Hilda raised her head a bit, supporting on her elbow. She rubbed her right eye with her hand, smiling back at Ingo. "It's not my fault, you said five minutes."

The hand which had been stroking her arm moved to her shoulder, resuming the caress in that area. "I am sorry. It took me fifteen minutes instead of five."

"You mean I slept for fifteen minutes?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing. "It felt like hours."

"How strange, because..." He removed his hand in brief when he noticed Hilda was staring. "... Because I believe you weren't completely asleep. We are speaking about fifteen minutes."

"Let's just say I wasn't conscious. Now, what are you waiting for? Go to sleep."

"Why are you so worried about my sleep habits?"

Hilda put up a baffled expression, not precisely due to the interrupted sleep. "I already told you, it isn't healthy to sleep less than six hours per day. If something bad happen to you due to the lack of sleep, you could die, and if you die, Emmet will die next. In other words, I don't you two to die."

Ingo couldn't help laughing after hearing such a dramatic and exaggerated answer. "I would rather only consider the main idea of something bad happening to me."

"Well, I'm glad you got my point," she chuckled, then fixed her gaze intently into his very own, reflecting adoration as her lips curved upwards in the most tender smile Ingo had ever seen.

It was incredible. She had to merely look at him in that kind way and all those inappropriate thoughts would haunt his poor mind in a split second. Just wanting to fondle or hug her was terribly wrong; in the end, those displays of affection in question led to a more meaningful one. He understood, he was a human being. But why her and not a woman of his age? He didn't know what to think anymore. No matter how much he suppressed his wants, there wasn't a way to stop his craving for Hilda.

The only thing he could do was to resist as much as possible.

"You should sleep in my room, Hilda. The apartment is usually quiet cold, and today it is even worse."

"Look, we discussed this two hours ago and my response remains the same. On the other hand, I'd like to sleep here, if you don't mind."

"Here?"

"Yes. I love darkness. And if I turn off the lamp the room would be pretty obscure."

"Well, as you wish." The Subway Boss got up from his crouching position "I will bring a blanket for you."

He opened the door and left the room. Hilda took the opportunity to sit up and contemplate her right arm, the one Ingo had been caressing. She bit her lower lip and added a mental note to her system: 'Never stare at the physical contact point'. It seemed the man felt awkward if she did that, so he would stop. Perhaps there wasn't contact all the time, but if a opportunity aroused, she needed to take advantage.

That last statement made she feel like the most desperate and obsessed person in all Unova. Damn hormones.

Some steps were heard and the older twin emerged through the door again with a chequered blanket hanging from his arm. He left it on the couch next to Hilda and knelt one more time, leaning on just one knee. He grabbed her foot and untied the pink laces of the girl's boot, much to her surprise.

At last, Hilda couldn't prevent the gales of laughter that came out her mouth. "What are you doing?" she asked him, amused.

When the laces were loose enough, Ingo took off her boot and placed it on the floor. "You are a smart person, I think you know what I am doing," he joked, reaching out for the remaining boot.

With a roll of her eyes, Hilda corrected herself, "I mean, why are you doing this?"

The man repeated the process, untying the long laces. "Until now, you haven't taken them off, so I thought I should do it for you."

He finally took the boot off. Hilda chuckled at his answer and they stood up at the same time. "That was funny in both known senses, Ingo, but thank you nonetheless."

He smiled down and cupped her face gently with one of his bare hands, earning a startled gasp. He raised his other hand, moved her side swept bangs and rested it on her cheek. Without hesitation, Ingo pressed his lips to her forehead.

Hilda froze in place.

He moved away his lips just the slightest bit and inhaled her scent, closing his eyes, then exhaling weakly. Hilda could have sworn she was about to suffer a heart-attack, but once his breath met her forehead, she managed to look up. Shortly after, the taller man kissed her forehead again and let go.

Ingo couldn't explain what the heck inside his system forced him to kiss her, nor did he wanted to find out. It was clean and innocent, and most important, needed; nothing wrong with it. He begged that thought remained the same way the next day, because his head would otherwise explode. "I will see you in the morning, Hilda."

"Yeah... Um, good night"

He left again, this time closing the door.

The trainer walked to the lamp, turned it off and made her way to the couch, laying down and covering with the blanket, a broad smile spreading across her red face; there it was, another memory to gnaw her head mercilessly until she went insane. Hilda didn't want to put her faith so high thinking about the unknown reasons that led him to kiss her forehead in such an affectionate way, but she wanted that to happen again.


	3. Not a Couple

**A/N:** Here it is, chapter three. It is quite long, so I am sorry if somebody who is reading prefers shortness. It just came like this.

I appreciate reviews, all of them, including guests! Thank you very much for encouraging me!

There is someone that made an interesting question I would like to asnwer, because it is a good opportunity to warn all of you as well.

**ChickenWithChips: **This story is rated T for now, but yes, it will move up to M in the future. Nevertheless, I think that stories starring a relationship between an adult character and a teenager do not have to be M. It is actually possible to write one without certain themes, depending on the writer. But like you, mature fics do not disturb me and that is why this one in particular is going to change rating at some point.

**Warning:** The beggining of this chapter is a little suggestive. Nothing serious though. Feel free to skip it if you do not like... spicy food.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon.

* * *

"Hey, wake up," a feminine voice whispered.

Eyes still closed, Ingo frowned and his shoulders tensed up. He wasn't a man who loved to sleep, but when he was asleep, it was better –or convenient– not to wake him up.

"Ingo, wake up," the familiar voice commanded, louder.

The Subway Boss snapped his eyes open, and despite the endless darkness racking his room, he recognized the girl who was precisely sitting on top of him. Her knees were pressing on the mattress, her hands innocently resting on her tights, and in lieu of the regular ponytai, her chestnut curly hair was down.

It suited her more, was Ingo's first conclusion. It showed off the perfect contour of her beautiful face, allowing her to look as if she were a few years older, and in addition, watching Hilda from that angle made her delicate figure all the more admirable. Regardless of her youth and physical developement in progess, she was enough to drive him insane. The girl looked just gorgeous and hellishly desirable into his eyes, yet his main reaction was an exceptionally bemused face.

Half of his brain was working properly yet.

"Hilda? What...? Why are you sitting on me?"

_'And why didn't I feel your weight? I am not a heavy sleeper, how didn't you wake me before?'_

The blue eyed girl tilted her head to the side in an adorable manner and moved her hands to his torso. "I'm sorry, didn't want to wake you..." she leaned a little and started moving her hands temptingly along his abdomen, practically straddling him. "But the study room is freezing, so I was wondering... may I sleep here, please?"

Hilda earned a feeble gasp from the man beneath her. He could perfectly feel her touch through the fabric of his grey T-shirt and that only worked up his urges and stomach stirring. "Y-yes, sure. I-I will go to the living if you... get off."

Leaning closer to his face and dragging her hands to his chest, Hilda's lips curved upwards, forming a hussy smile. Her fingers caressed softly the area in an unsteady motion as Ingo let out deeper and more frequent gasps. "But I don't want you to leave, the bed would be cold..." she shifted slightly and brought her face closer. "Come on, I need you to stay," the young teen breathed suggestively.

The man bit his lower lip and moved her hands away. He was overly temped, but there were still lingering thoughts about how immoral the situation was, and how he shouldn't give in to his sinful desires. "No, I am not going to stay..." he received a hurt look, and proceeded in a serious tone nonetheless. "Now, get off, please, or I will be bound to push you."

He pressed his hands to her shoulders and sat up slowly, expecting to keep away her face. But Hilda didn't show any sign of moving from his lap, whereas straddling him with a blank expression on her face seemed far more fitting. Ingo sighed and gave a gentle push to her knees. "Please, move. We can't sleep on the same bed, it wouldn't be correct. If you want to sleep here, you must let me go first."

No response came from her mouth.

As words weren't helping to get what she wanted, Hilda chose to shove him down into the mattress, his head hitting the pillow harshly in the process. The moment she brought her alluring face closer and he felt her soft hands all over his chest again, all previous thoughts were temporarily left aside. Her face was only inches away from his, too close for their own good.

_Her_ own good.

Ingo could only gaped at her with wide eyes while breathing heavily. He was about to speak when Hilda cut him off, resting her hand on his cheek, abruptly leading her lips to his jawline to kiss, lick and suck pointedly, gaining several deep, low groans from the man. He was on the verge of finally giving in, and the arousing assault didn't give a chance to think straightly about its consequences. But eventually, during all the kissing, his brain came back and tried to take control of the internal battle between reasoning and desire, much to his surprise.

Still gasping for air, Ingo grabbed her arms and clenched them, forcing her to halt and give him some space. The frustrated girl looked down at him; she was losing her patience.

Nothing made sense to him, her attitude changed too fast and she had never been _that _daring. "Hilda, stop this nonsense! Don't you realize what you are doing?" He paused to take a breath. "And anyway, why are you doing this? What has got into you?"

Struggling a little, Hilda managed to free her arms quickly from his firm grasp and proceed to lean over the man one more time, straddling him fiercely and pinning his shoulders to the mattress with her hands until she heard a shaky whimper.

Music to her ears.

"I'll make my point clearer..." She started, shortening the gap between their faces, noses almost touching. "I need to sleep near you; to touch you; to have you; and I want it as much as you do, so, forget about that damn this-is-wrong _bullshit_ and make something to stop our craving for once and all! IS THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU?" the trainer blurted, adding pressure to grind down against him.

Ingo moaned in guilty pleasure. He could feel her hot breath on his face and her speech caused an intense impact on his body, as if it were something physical rather than spoken words. He didn't know what his hands should exactly do and that implied his brain was losing the battle once more, like he feared. "Y-You didn't m-mean it, you don't know what you are saying," he stammered in a weak attempt to resist, uttering a mental curse when he unwittingly shifted and she pressed even more against him. "Y-You are too young and unexperienced to state such a thing," the man added between excited gasps.

Hilda shook her head in disapproval. "Forget about my age and lack of experience! It doesn't matter!" she smirked seductively at him, putting a hand around his face and the other on his chest. "In spite of my youth and current lack of experience, I'm totally capable of being turned on by you."

It was becoming too much for the Subway Boss. He could see lust and determination in those lovely cerulean eyes, and all he wanted was to touch her the same way she did. But it was hard to ignore those thoughts telling him otherwise and the guilt they brought. "Hilda, I can't... We shouldn't– _AAH!_"

He was unexpectedly interrupted by her lips sucking all over his neck, and he couldn't help the boisterous moan that escaped his throat. Unintentionally, his hands landed on her hips while Hilda kissed and nibbled the area without rest, dragging her teeth to feel the skin as much as possible.

Heavy gasps and ill-timed groans were impossible to avoid, but even so, when the hand on his chest travelled to his side and the kisses started to nearly burn his neck, increasing the aching yearning he felt in his whole body, Ingo clutched her clothes and tried to convince her one last time. "Wait, Hilda, wait," he managed to catch her attention, therefore the kisses coming to a stop. "T-Think about it, is this really what you want? You may regret–"

"I WON'T!" She attacked his neck once again, biting rather aggressively until the man let out a hoarse moan. "Right now, I want exactly this. It doesn't matter what is going to happen later." Hilda put her hands in the pillow, at the sides of his face and straddled his waist, shifting continuously. "I won't regret it, because regardless of how this ends, sometime I would have wished to be with you," she whispered between mild gasps, then resumed her work on his abused neck.

The Subway Boss was in a daze, still clutching her clothes and moaning repeatedly. But Hilda noticed he hadn't given in to the full extent yet. The girl had pretended to be naive, aggressive, dominant, tempting and had tried to convince him by true words and some pleas. She even was devouring his neck, practically, and none of them worked to achieve what she wanted, so, the only alternative was to keep trying – when she saw a few marks on his pale skin, her teeth dragged all the way until her mouth reached his ear.

Hilda sucked, licked and nipped at his earlobe without hesitation, flicking her tongue every now and then. Ingo couldn't help groaning exaltedly at this; he really wasn't expecting it. His second reaction was to unwittingly apply pressure to the grip on her hips, causing the girl bore him down even more, if possible.

"Hilda, s-stop, for god's sake," the worn-out man stuttered, panted, _begged_.

"Please, don't make this so hard. Just give in..." The girl took his earlobe between her teeth and licked it painfully slow, earning another blaring moan and a strong squeeze to her hips. "And do whatever you want with me," she purred in his ear, sliding one hand under his T-shirt to caress his abdomen provocatively.

And with that, he lost it.

His abstinence could go to hell, forget about morals and screw society and whatever opinions people have. In a swift and almost violent movement, Hilda was the one being pressed into the mattress, her chestnut hair all scattered on the pillow and cheeks fully red.

She looked delighted to the core by the time Ingo was desperately rubbing as much of his body as he could against her smaller one, eliciting uncountable gasps and wanton moans from the trainer. His hands brushed her sides in the boldest manner as she hugged him tightly, stroking his back and mewling with pleasure – there weren't words to describe how all felt, but it was so pleasing that Ingo regretted not having done it before. He hungrily kissed and licked the hollow of her throat, feeling her pulse hammering, which was the perfect indicator of the girl's arousal along with the cute sounds she made. Hilda burrowed a hand in his hair, pulling blandly, encouraging the eager man to fondle her more, to explore her with his hands, to hold her impossibly closer and to kiss her to death.

No more time needed to be wasted. No more excuses and thinking.

If both wanted this, they would have it.

. . .

Ingo woke up and shot up, panting and frantically looking around to spot Hilda.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

Upon realizing all had been a dream –one of _those _dreams– the sickening feeling came back to scene. He had dreamt of her a lot of times; however, that dream in particular was way too bawdy and explicit. Never, since he had met her, had his unwilled fantasies got to that kind of physical interaction, hence he was beginning to panic and feel like he needed psychological assistant.

Ingo gazed at the alarm-clock. It was half past five in the morning, so he had less than thirty minutes to sleep a little more. Finding pointless the idea of sleeping, he moved to the edge of the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing frustratingly. He knew what was going to happen next in that dream. _'What is wrong with me? I can't feel that for her, not even in my dreams. It's too much.' _Grunting, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled a bit as a reprimand. It wasn't allowed to wish for something like that or even dream about Hilda in such an impure way. It simply crossed the line.

The man got up from the bed, took his shirt, black pants, shoes and left the room.

A very cold shower was what he needed.

.

The study-room wasn't dark anymore. It had rained a lot a few hours ago, but still, a dull light illuminated the apartment through the windows. Laying on the couch, Hilda felt like returning to consciousness. She stretched and her eyes flew open, blinking twice to adjust her vision. Once able to see clearly, she spotted Ingo standing near the door, looked wearier than normal, and also a bit startled. His hair was barely damp.

Most probably, his presence woke up the trainer.

"Good morning," she saluted and sat up, moving the blanket aside.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you." The girl checked the clock in front of her. "Actually, I would have liked to sleep some more, but I guess you refer to comfort." She leant forward, extended her arm towards the floor and draw her boots closer. She stopped her actions, however, when an idea crossed her mind. "Umm, Ingo... were you watching me sleep?"

Uh-uh, that struck a nerve.

The man gulped and flushed slightly. ". . . N-No, no, I was going to wake you for breakfast, but you got ahead by coincidence," he stuttered the explanation, which was half-true. Of course, she had distracted him and Ingo had watched her for two or three minutes, but Hilda didn't have to know that. "If you are still tired, I will leave my key so you may sleep more and go home later. Next time we meet, you hand it back."

"Really? Wow! When did we become so confident?"

"It isn't as if you were going to steal our TV," he chuckled. "I trust you enough."

Hilda finished tying the laces and looked at him, laughing a little. "I appreciate that immensely." She walked up to him. "But it wouldn't be fair. I think it is an abuse, and I promised your brother to accompany him today as well."

"Alright, you are going with us then. Did Emmet tell you about his dental appointment?"

"No, he didn't. What's his problem?"

"He has a severe carity which is too late to treat at this time. It have already started to hurt, thus the affected tooth must be removed."

"Ah, I now understand why you don't let him eat so much sweet."

"Is the first reason. The second are the side effects produced by big amounts of sugar on him, but we can speak about that later." Ingo waved his hand to drop the subject, earning a chuckle from the girl. "He has to go after lunch, so my question is if you are going home or... staying with me."

The trainer clasped her hands together behind her back and smiled, blushing the slightest bit. "Bothering you again sounds very tempting, I should stay with you."

He smiled back at her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You can't bother me." His hands moved to the sides of her face and their gazes met, increasing the soft blush on the girl's cheeks. "Stop those comments, I like to have you around," the man told her as he broke the contact, his words dripping fondless.

Soon after, Hilda threw her arms around his back with no choice but to rest her head in his chest due to the height difference. Ingo doubted for a second, but eventually embraced her, laying one hand on her waist and the other higher, precisely on her back. In comparison with hers, his hug was rather weak, yet very kind and demonstrative.

The blue eyed girl looked up at him tenderly, resting her chin on his chest. "You are way too tall."

"You are way too short."

_'And way too beautiful,'_ a voice inside his head whispered.

"Oh, shut up! I'm average height." She protested playfully, letting go of him.

He let go as well, laughing. "I won't discuss that with you," the man said, going for the nearby door. "Hilda, do me a favor: wake up my brother and then both of you go to the kitchen – I know you are planning something mischievous, so have fun," Ingo added and immediately after went to the kitchen.

Hilda meditated for a microsecond. ". . . This is going to be epic!" she cheered aloud and rushed to Emmet's room. Before literally kicking the door open, however, the word 'privacy' echoed in her head, and she decided to knock softly, just in case. No response came, so she entered the room carefully and took a minute to look around. The place wasn't a terrible mess itself, as Ingo had stated, though that was most likely thanks to the older twin and his tidiness.

She approached the bed quickly, without hesitation, and launched herself on the sleeping man, who woke up utterly stunned by the impact. He turned around and found Hilda, only to receive a hard bite on his shoulder. "AH! You little brat!" he yelled in a mix of pain and joy. "Why?"

"You deserved it! How many times have you licked or bitten me? It was the perfect moment for revenge," the girl answered, laughing loudly.

"Yeah, when I'm sleeping, that's so fair and brave," he joked with a contagious smile, pushing her kindly and moving to make some space for the girl.

Hilda understood what he wanted, so she laid down on her side next to him, laughing softly. "You always take advantage of both height and strength difference between us. You can't speak about fairness here."

"Forget the fairness, I was having a nice dream and you interrupted, that's more important..." Emmet brought her closer to the point her upper body was basically on top of his, then he embraced her. Hilda returned the hug and buried her face in his chest. "And now, I'll try to resume it, if you don't mind," he told her, closing his eyes and leaning his chin atop her head.

"I wonder if your dream had something to do with a certain blonde gym leader."

Five seconds of silence went by.

"Maybe, yes... but it's not what you think."

The girl rolled her eyes at how nervous and rushed sounded his last sentence. "You don't have to tell me that, but I do want to know how things are going between you two."

The man's eye shot open and his expression dropped considerably. He sighed. "I'm not sure anymore. One day we are just friends that argue and play like teens, the next we resemble of intimate lovers or something, and the day after, she asks out somebody else in my face... I think Elesa only wants to fool around."

"But your relationship has been like you just described it since I met both of you. The times I have seen you two making out desperately can't be counted, and you aren't a couple yet?"

"We have been like this for two years. She is the one who doesn't want us to be in a committed relationship."

"Did she give a reason?"

"I have spoken to her about why we aren't a couple several times, but it generally ends in an argument, and I mean a real one, not like the ones we usually have for fun, so I never got a reason."

"And why don't you stop this? Two years is a lot of time."

"Because it's not so easy, I really like her. It's more than a simple crush, Hilda."

The trainer noticed the mild sad tone in his voice; he was trying to hide it, but she knew him far more than what he could assume. "Well, I don't think Elesa just wants to... fool around. She could do that with other men, and I don't claim to be an expert, but you don't fool around with someone for two years."

There were a few seconds of silence after the girl spoke. She was starting to regret about her question. If she had known that the Subway Boss would be so affected by her doubt, she wouldn't have asked in first place.

"I don't know if it would be okay to tell you this, but in spite of all the kisses, we never get to... you know..."

". . . You have to be kidding."

"I'm not."

"What?!" Hilda lifted her upper body a little to look at Emmet. "Then she's not fooling around as you suppose, idiot. If you aren't kidding, this must be important for her!"

"That doesn't mean anything. Why does she date other men? Why does she ruin everything without reasons?"

Hilda's lips quivered. ". . . I'm not the one who should answer that." Noticing his gloomy expression, she tightened the hug and tucked her head underneath his chin again. "I'm sorry for asking about her."

"Don't be, I need to speak about this matter every now and then. Otherwise, I would go crazy... but let's change the subject. How is it going between you and my brother?"

"Why do you insist? I don't like Ingo in that way, so cut it off."

"You always tell me the same, but you can't lie to me. I'm not as stupid as I look."

Hilda let go and got up from the bed, ending the embrace. "We aren't having this conversation again. Go and have breakfast."

The Subway Boss sat up, smirking at her. "I'll go if you admit that you love him"

The trainer rubbed her temples and grunted ferociously. "I'm not in love with him, do you understand?" She hissed angrily, pointing a sharp finger.

"Don't get mad at me! I'm just trying to help. It's obvious that you like him, at least for me... I don't want to annoy you, just hear me out." The man paused and waited for a sign of permission to continue. Hilda took a deep breath, and nodded dejectedly. "We had a small talk at night about Ingo. Although all I said was true, you need to know that he is capable of being physically expressive. If he takes such a habit with you, then feel valuable, because it could just mean exactly that."

Those words were so well-timed. Hilda wondered if he knew something he shouldn't, or if the man had already assumed that her aim was to get closer to the older of them. Even though their displays of affection had just developed and weren't a habit, a more meaningful relationship was hinted from them. "You are trying to tell me affection is the 'ultimate proof' for him?" She asked with noticeable interest, adding quotations marks with her fingers.

"Yes, and I'm also telling you that his physical actions are more intense than you think. He only saves hugs, pats and all those stuff for the people he really loves. Keep it in mind, because I'm sure you want to know whether or no he cares about you."

She tensed up considerably. "You are scaring me. Why do you–?"

"I just need glasses, Hilda. I'm not blind."

Looking at a random direction, the girl regained her usual calm posture. ". . . It's almost half past six. You two are going to be late."

"Oh, right." The man moved aside the covers and got up from the bed. "Tell Ingo that I don't feel like eating. I'll have a quick shower instead."

Without further questions, Hilda nodded and left the room. She went down the hall until she reached the living-room, took her forgotten cap which was still on the couch and put it on. Subsequently, she went to the kitchen and rested her left arm on the arch, folding both of them. "He's going to have a shower. No breakfast."

The already fully dressed man left two steamy cups on the table and turned around to look at her. "As I figured. His teeth must be aching."

"Yeah, I supposed the same. What else could interfere between him and food?"

"I get your point," The Subway Boss chuckled. He turned around once more to take a seat, putting his hands around one of the cups. "Sit wherever you want and eat something."

Hilda walked to the table and sat in front of him. There was a bowl of fruits, a plate with some toast and the remaining cup of coffee that obviously was prepared for her. She sipped the coffee and let out a soft delighted moan. "Did you prepare this by coincidence or what? It's so made for me." The girl took a big gulp, reached out for a piece of toast and gave it a bite.

"Actually, you told me how you like it months ago."

She swallowed and left the toast next to the cup. "You still remember? No, wait. You paid attention?"

"Why wouldn't I pay attention? Of course I did, and it is something hard to forget. You like coffee the same way Emmet does: sickly sweet, almost repulsive."

"Hey, you like sweet coffee too."

"Yes, but normally sweet," he said with emphasis, somehow teasing her.

Hilda smiled and looked down, putting her hands around the cup to feel some warmth.

"And tell me, why wouldn't I pay attention?"

The girl rested half of his arm on the table and her gaze returned to Ingo. "Well, if I were you, I probably wouldn't listen to all I say. Sometimes I would just nod my head or something; it must be hard listening to absolutely all stupid and random things I often comment."

"There is no need to do that. I found your comments pretty entertaining rather than stupid." He paused and sipped his coffee. "I live with Emmet and he does say brainless things most of the time, yet I enjoy his company as much as yours."

"Ah, you are comparing me with your brother?"

"I usually do that, you are so alike in many ways. But he is far more childish despite his age while you are more... mature, and that is why I enjoy your company too."

"Your brother is lovely like a baby pokémon..." she trailed off. "But I believed you like to spend time with me because I'm basically your younger brother in a more mature version?" Hilda kind of questioned.

"No, _you_ are _you_. My brother is my brother. Sometimes you remind me of him, that is all."

"Well, whatever. You admitted I'm the joy of your life."

The man in black laughed heartily. Much of their conversations always included laughter, even from him. "Those words never left my mouth."

"How weird, because that's exactly what I heard," she assured mockingly before driking down the rest of the coffee, her attention coming to the half-eaten toast. Once finished, Hilda sensed his eyes on her. He was smiling and looking at her in an odd, non-obnoxious manner. "What I did was typical from him, right?"

"Twisting words to your convenience? No, Emmet would never do such a thing."

Hilda narrowed her eyes at his sarcasm while Ingo took the last gulp. "Are you going to deny it?"

"No. In fact, it is quite true, especially when you come for a beating up."

The smile shrank drastically. "Yeah, don't even mention it," she pointed out, her voice holding a tint of anger mixed with sadness.

It wasn't related with his joke nor previous defeats; she hadn't gotten upset before by this sort of jokes, so it had to be something else, Ingo concluded. His first thought was about the League and her unexposed worry. He probably hit a weak spot without intention.

Feeling guilty, his gloved hand travelled to hers to pet it warmly. "I am sorry."

"No, no, it's not about our battles or what you said."

"I know." He paused and squeezed her hand a bit while her thumb rubbed his. "It is about the Pokémon League, isn't it?"

". . . Yes, I'm beginning to feel impatient and frustrated."

Even when her gaze lowered, he could see fear and concern in those shiny blue orbs. _'She is lying,'_ the Subway Boss thought, not able to understand the wrongness of his previous words. Maybe it triggered ideas in her mind about something he didn't know, like a chain of events, but she obviously wasn't telling the truth, and he wanted to find out what she was hiding.

However, the man opted for playing along and not pushing the issue. "Don't worry, you are going to train and the time will come. Just relax."

Hilda looked at him and smiled sadly. He returned the smile, but her gloominess didn't go unnoticed. In an attempt to comfort her, Ingo interlaced their fingers together and caressed her thumb with his the same way she did. "That last sentence sounded like something you would tell me."

A sincere short laugh escaped from the trainer's mouth. "Yes, definitely."

Both of remained like that, smiling fondly, their gazes fixed on each other.

They only realized Emmet was there when he cleared his throat. Immediately, their hands drew aside in the blink of an eye. "Am I interrupting?" the man in white asked jestingly.

Hilda blushed fairly and pretended not to head, standing up quickly and taking the cups. She rushed to the sink and started to wash them as the older twin was left alone to face the music. He opened his mouth to say something; anything, but in the end, he couldn't formulate an answer, so he closed it again.

"If you wanted private time, you could have just asked for it."

"Emmet, don't be stupid, we were only talking."

"Yeah, sure..." The younger twin laughed blatantly and glanced at Hilda, who was leaning against a kitchen cabinet with rosy cheeks. "We better leave now, it's quarter to seven."

"Let's go, then." Ingo suggested and stood up, walking out of the kitchen promptly.

Hilda stared at the remaining twin, sending him daggers. "When the moment comes, I'm going to bite you so hard that I'll draw out blood from your fragile, pale skin," came the sadist hiss with loads and loads of hate.

"For making both of you feel uncomfortable or for interrupting?"

Hilda grunted, and once again ignored his question. She followed the older twin and Emmet trailed after her, stiffling the urge to giggle madly right behind their backs.

Ingo unlocked the door and the three left the apartment.

.

The cloudy morning flew by.

Hilda had spent it with Emmet, like she promised, and both of them had a great time full of painful laughter. It had been a while from their last battle, so they decided to have a friendly encounter free of the imposed rules: one versus one. The battle was equalized; her Bisharp and his Eelektross provoked and received the same amount of damage. If somebody had watched, said person couldn't have predicted who would win.

She narrowly lost though.

The rest of the morning consisted in random –frequently idiotic– talks, sometimes about Elesa, sometimes about Ingo. Eventually, all led to a war of licks and bites which Hilda miserably lost as well, in spite of putting up a good fight. When a challenger came into the car, the teen and the Subway Boss would stop their 'little quarrel' and pretend to be sophisticated and serious people for some minutes, and in addition, Hilda would watch the encounters, like a small break.

Expectedly, most of them weren't a big deal, but there wer a few that had actually piqued her interest. For example, the last battle: an Ace Trainer who had managed to stand during more than ten good minutes. Hilda felt identified with him, as he did his best and seemed to have a chance to win, until his last member fell to his kness, that's it. She was amazed with him and his team, however. Probably double battles were his facility.

They exchanged some words, so Hilda took the opportunity to congratulate him before he left once the train came to a stop. According to Emmet, the trainer had been flirting with Hilda, and she didn't do anything to repel him like the insect he was. They had argued about that and her 'infidelity' for a long time, and apparently, he didn't have intentions on dropping the subject.

"I can't believe you cheated on my brother," he scolded while they were walking to Ingo's office.

Hilda unwittingly squeezed the bag full of snacks she was hugging. "Enough! I didn't cheat on nobody and you know it!" the blue eyed girl yelled for what felt like the thousandth time that afternoon.

"I was there! You were flirting with him!"

"It isn't possible you are serious about this!" She abruptly stopped walking, and in brief, so did he. The young trainer sighed deeply and placed the bag on the floor, clenching both fists at her sides. She calmy raised her thumb. "First: I don't like Ingo in that way." She raised another finger. "Second: _he_ doesn't like me in that way, meaning there's no one to be unfaithful to." She finally raised her middle-finger. "And third: that boy was flirting with me, BUT I WASN'T!"

The younger Subway Boss blinked twice at her, then leant forward to match height and, raising his hand to her face level, he touched her nose with his index finger, making a 'bip' sound.

Hilda's eyes widened in a blank expression, and a feral, delayed grunt came out. She tried to tackle him, but it theoretically ended in a hug because the man didn't feel a thing. He let out a cackle at her pathetic tackle attempt, petting her back, until she yielded in laughter too, still hugging him. It was impossible to get mad at him, no matter how annoying was his portrayal.

"You are an idiot," she told him, her voice muffled by his body.

"Proudly."

She let go and grabbed the bag again.

"Come on, I need my personal dose of snacks."

They kept walking until they reached the office. Emmet was the first to enter, pushing the door with his side in his own self-effacing way. "Honey, I'm home." Pause. "Oh, I'm sorry, that was your line, Hilda."

The girl walked in from behind the man, smacking his back in the process, mumbling the most artificial 'sorry' ever heart.

Ingo couldn't help smiling at that scene; someone ought to physically hurt his twin. "Well done," he congratulated the trainer. Her response was a smug smirk.

She got closer to the desk and placed the bag on its surface carefully so as not to mess with the papers Ingo hadn't read yet, taking a random snack from the bag and heading straight to the couch. Shortly after, the younger twin joined her.

"Do you want some?"

"No, thank you. That damn tooth is ruining my appetite."

"Crap, I forgot about your pain." Her eyes travelled to the bag on the desk. "Well, I guess those snacks won't be eaten."

"Snacks? That is what you are having for lunch?" The older twin asked from the desk, postponing his reading.

"You only have a cup of coffee with who knows what rubbish. Don't you dare to reprehend me."

He considered her words, and shrugged his shoulders, resuming the reading. "Fair enough."

There was a brief moment of silence, until somebody pushed the door open aggressively. Elesa entered the room, slammed the door strong enough to send some papers to fly, and stood there for a while, looking at Ingo with scorching hate. "You so owe me."

The man's gaze never left the report. "Nice to have you here, Elesa," he answered sarcastically. "I sense you are quite moody today."

Hilda and Emmet didn't understand a thing, but they were paying attention as if their existences depended on the scene before them. It was like a movie, just replaced popcorn by a package of snacks.

"What were you expecting? I had plans and now I have to babysit!"

His penetrating gaze finally landed on the model. "I didn't threaten you with a gun, I just asked for a favour, if you didn't want to do it–"

"Don't say it!" She shouted, soon followed by sigh. Elesa touched her forehead and added in a more polite tone. "I'm already here."

"Um, guys, what is happening?" the younger twin interjected in a timid voice.

"Let me explain this: we can't be absent at the same time. It would be problematic, so I can't go with you to your appointment. On the other hand, you really need to go with somebody else, because you will be anesthetized, and that could be dangerous when it comes to, well, _you_. The dentist told you to go with a person of legal age for your own good... do I ought to say more?"

"No, it was clearer than water."

Elesa leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and legs. "I don't understand, Ingo. Is he your brother or your little child?"

The man in white tried to ignore the double sense in Elesa's question; he had been called 'child' before, but in an acceptable way, as if it were his main virtue. On the contrary, this time was almost an insult."If he is my father, then Hilda must be my mother!" He joked in an attempt to ventilate his mild hurt.

What was better than disturbing the quiet girl?

Hilda languidly turned her head and sent him a murdering stare. Seconds later, a can of soda flew across the room and hit him violently, courtesy of Ingo. The girl erupted in hysterical laughter. She wasn't expecting something like that to happen.

"You two can't stand a joke," the attacked man said with a grin, resting himself on the trainer beside him.

When she managed to calm down, Hilda grabbed the can and, before drinking its content, she raised it in the direction of Ingo, smiling broadly at him, like a toast in his honor. He returned the smile enthusiastically and then moved away the report he hadn't finished reading.

He got up and looked at Elesa, who had shown rather indifferent. "It's time to come back to work, which means you should leave with my brother."

"Fine," the model replied with a poisonous tongue. "You." She pointed at the agonizing man clinging to Hilda. "Let's go, now."

No response came.

"Aren't you listening? Hurry up!"

The Subway Boss seemed to be electrocuted by a lethal discharge after she yelled. Reluctantly, he stood up and released a feeble sigh. "Those painkillers aren't killing anything but my brain," he mumbled to no one in particular, taking off his cap, coat and gloves to hang them in the rack.

"HURRY UP!"

"Okay, okay, let's go!"

He rushed to the door and opened it for her. She quickly walked out of the office, not bothering with saying good-bye.

"Good luck," Hilda chirped from the couch, waving.

He waved back at her, smiling perforce, then trailed after Elesa and closed the door.

The blue eyed girl sipped the soda for the last time and threw the empty can into the trash near the desk. "I have never seen her like that, do you know what the problem was?"

"When I asked her this favour at night, Elesa told me she would go out with somebody today. I suppose her anger is due to the missing date."

"No, that's too simple. I mean, any man would wait a day or even more for her. She is a gym leader and a model, after all."

"Well, we will eventually find out later; the break is over so we must get going."

"Oh, sure."

Both left the office and walked for quite a while until they were stepping into a train. Hilda couldn't remember what happened exactly on the way. She knew a few words were exchanged and two or possibly three depot agents passed them by, but the rest was unfinished. Had she not been recalling certain moments, she would remember the path.

When the doors automatically closed, Hilda realized she was standing alone beside them and instinctively rushed to the spot next to Ingo; not too far, yet not uncomfortably close. The train started moving, but she was so busy looking at the man's distracted and concerned face out the corner of her eye that she didn't pay attention.

"You look worried, is everything okay?"

The Subway Boss moved a bit until he was sitting diagonally, aiming for better view of her. "Yes, everything is fine, I was only thinking."

The blue eyed girl did the same to share a more comfortable talk. "You are worried," she confirmed. "Is it about Emmet?"

". . . Yes, he is really scared of dentists, and Elesa was too fretful. I am thinking it probably wasn't a good idea, she is going to make him feel more afraid."

"Oh, you care about him a lot."

"Of course I do, he is my younger brother and my only family," he told her, his tone similar to one last minute confession.

"I know, and it's honestly very nice to hear you saying it. But I always thought you didn't like to encourage his child crazes such as fear of dentists."

"I don't. However, this craze, as you name it, is acceptable for me. He had an extremely painful experience with different dentists which lasted nearly four months. If I were him, I would be scared of them too."

"Four months? What the heck did they do?"

"Well..." He crossed his legs and interlaced his own fingers on top of his knee, looking thoughtful. "I will try to resume it. He needed to have a molar taken out because a small part had broken. The first dentist told him anesthesia didn't work on him after it was injected a few times, so he tried to pull out the tooth without it; my brother could stand the pain for three minutes, then it became too much and he left." The man uncrossed his legs, taking a more relaxing position.

"The second didn't apply the correct amount of anesthetic and when he tried to take out the tooth, he apparently stuck a nerve was hit and received an unwilled punch from my brother in exchange. Emmet left that time as well, because he didn't want to go through suffering anymore. Finally, the third did it fine with the anesthesia, but he managed to remove the tooth by pieces. The day after, my brother got a severe infection because that man missed a small piece. It lasted almost three months."

Hilda grabbed the sides of her face and squeezed her legs together, shivering at the thought of that situation happening to her. "Oh my god, I'd have killed all those men one by one." She dropped her hands on her thighs. "Your brother is so unlucky sometimes, I swear I'll never use this to tease him."

"He certainly wouldn't laugh at that." Ingo looked up to nothing in particular. "I hope Elesa treats him well."

"She is a good woman, in spite of behaving like that today, I'm sure she'll do the correct."

He nodded, and both fell silent for a very few minutes. The man didn't apart his gaze from what seemed to be the roof of the car whereas Hilda was looking down at her hands, remembering moments, phrases and questions she had considered to ask him. She knew there was confidence enough, but she didn't wish to disturb either.

_'Do you want to know him better or not? Ask, and if he doesn't answer, just change the subject.'_

Following her own advice, she moved closer to Ingo. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

His attention came back to her. He noticed the sudden approach, but as there wasn't any kind of brushing, it didn't alarm him. "Yes, ask whatever you want," he answered gently.

"How was yours and Emmet's childhood?"

His eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Why do you want to know about that?"

"I-If you prefer not to answer is okay," she stuttered, her eyes drifting to her clenching and unclenching hands.

"No, no, don't get me wrong." He stroked kindly one of her nervous hands. "I just wasn't expecting that question in particular," he murmured in a warm manner and then removed his hand. "What would you like to know?"

"Mmm, let's see..." Hilda trailed off, getting closer to the Subway Boss, their legs brushing slightly. "I haven't talked this with Emmet, so you should tell me the basics, because I really have no idea. You two know a lot of me, but it's not mutual, especially speaking about you."

"Yes, you are right, it isn't so fair," he agreed, barely shifting at the contact. "We have only talked about this with Elesa; she is quite a good listener when she isn't angry..." The Subway Boss started tapping his fingers on his leg, focusing his gaze there. "First off, we didn't have a happy childhood... do you want me to continue, anyway?"

His soft grey eyes searched for her shiny blue ones, meeting them right away. Hilda saw his intention in them. He wasn't asking to show discontent with this subject and stop talking, he was asking because he needed to be heard. Ingo wanted to make sure she truly wished to know about him.

"Yes, go ahead, please. If you don't want to tell me all details, just tell me the most important."

He clutched his thighs softly and let out an inaudible sigh. Ingo didn't feel awkward, but he usually didn't speak neither about his past nor his problems with anybody aside from Elesa –rarely– and his younger twin. "We used to live in Anville Town with our father. When we were three years old, our mother abandoned us because she was fed up of her bad choice of a husband." He paused to shake his head languidly. "But I don't blame her, I would have left too if I had had the chance," the man commented ironically.

Seeing where all was going, Hilda bit her lower lip. She always knew there was a well-hidden and dismal lapse in their life, but it was hard to believe that he was the one telling her.

"Our father was awfully violent, with her and with us. What surprised me most of him, however, was that he could easily tell apart Emmet from me without never paying attention to us. There are just a few who are capable of finding differences between us, ignoring his usual smile and my serious nature. For example, you are one of those."

"Well, it's not so difficult to tell you two apart, you are so different in personality, and there a lot of physical questions too: you are one inch taller, your hair is always neatly-combed while Emmet's is messier, there are very smooth lines below your eyes which can't be seen on him, your voices are..." Hilda stopped her speech and finger counting when she noticed his blank expression. "Am I scaring you?"

He laughed lowly, shaking his head. "A little, but you surprised me a lot too. You are very observative."

". . . And he wasn't, right? Your father."

"No. I will never understand how he did it."

"Did he use to... beat you?" Hilda asked with hesitation.

"Not so much, unless I tried to stop him from beating Emmet," he told her with bitterness, clenching his fists. "He used to beat him a lot, enjoying each second, every single day." The Subway Boss ran a hand over the side of his face, closing his eyes and trying to calm down. "That was why he distinguished us, he had a favourite victim. He always looked for an excuse to punch or kick him." He went on in a calm tone, but his hate couldn't go unnoticed.

When Ingo saw Hilda's terrified face and the way her fist was applying pressure on her chest, he left behind his remorse and decided to skip to the end of his narration. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but he got ahead. "When we were fourteen, he got terribly sick because he used to... intoxicate himself. He finally died when we were fifteen. We then moved to Accumula Town with his sister and the rest of her family, who were our only relatives, but it is plainly complicated to take care of three children plus twins, so we left at the age of sixteen, after we had the chance to catch our first Pokémon... and here we are."

Hilda stayed still, perplexed. There was a lot she fancied to ask, such as why did they really left their aunt's house, or what had led them to become Subway Bosses, or how did their father's death affect them. But she couldn't bring herself to articulate the questions – speaking about this wasn't easy for him, it was written in all his face.

The girl met eyes with him and slowly reached for his hand, caressing all the way to his forearm, repeating the process. "I'm so sorry Ingo, I didn't–"

"Thank you for listening, I really needed that."

And again, they interlaced fingers, squeezing their hands and caressing with their thumbs. They remained like that for what felt like hours, moving along each other's fingers... until the man in black drew his hand away. It wasn't healthy at all, he told himself every time; stop the hugs, strokes, excessive closeness, stop it all. He couldn't take the opportunity to touch her whenever he pleased. It didn't matter how innocent the touch was, it was _prohibited_.

Hilda felt some inner rejection, but she couldn't expect him to hold her hand all the afternoon, could she?

To start a new talk, the trainer thought that a harmless question related with the previous subject would work. She had a lot to ask him, but she opted for one question that perhaps wouldn't bring so much bitterness. "Hey, about what you told me... is it connected with the way you treat Emmet?"

"What way?"

"You know, he is like a 'giant baby' and you agree with it, usually 'spoiling' him... alright, that's too exaggerated, but you understand what I'm trying to say." She made sure to add emphasis and quotation marks to show her point.

"Well, as he had a harder time than me, I only want to give him all he should have received. The only thing I try to avoid are his addictions, they make Emmet lose his mind completely."

"Ah, you are speaking about sweets, Joltik and Elesa."

"And alcohol."

Hilda almost jumped to her feet. "I KNEW IT! He denied it, but I knew better!" She shouted, as if she had won the lottery. "I wonder which one is the worst."

"I am not sure, all of them have more or less the same effect on him," he half joked, half told the truth.

Hilda's lips curved into a smile. They had met seven months ago, she had physically liked him and his way of being had intrigued her to no end, and now, there they were, speaking comfortably to each other. It was a pleasing sensation which increased when she spotted through the window door a confident Pokémon Breeder walking in the next car.

"Oh, look, here comes a challenger! Kick his ass and send it back to him by a letter! Come on!"

.

The monotonous and colorless waiting room wasn't in deathly silence as it should. Aside from the occasional sound produced by the dental drill in the next room, a certain nervous man was tapping his foot and shifting continuously over the leather-wrapped bench. Beside him, the short-tempered model was reading a fashion magazine, prevously on a nearly small table; the sound of leather brushing against clothes and foot tapping already starting to make her blood boil.

Lowering the magazine, she leered at Emmet as a warning, but he was so busy planning an escape through the window –the door was far too boring and typical– that he didn't noticed the heat emanating from her sky-blue eyes.

"BE QUIET!"

The purple haired woman, who had arrived a few minutes ago and was sitting in the corner of the room, looked plaintively at the pair over the rim of the book she had brought. When she received a murderous stare from Elesa, she quickly got her head back behind the book again.

"Sorry, I didn't realize–"

"I can't believe you are scared of dentists!" she spated, throwing the magazine on the table.

"What? No, I'm just feeling a little active," he lied, clutching his forearms nervously. "Why don't we go for a walk? Or, or... why don't we travel to Sinnoh? From what I've heard, it's a nice region!"

Elesa narrowed her eyes at him with loathing. "Shut the hell up and face your fears, you idiot!"

Pouting, the Subway Boss looked down at the floor, then at the stranger woman. She sensed his gaze and looked at him too. "And you? Would you like to travel to Sinnoh?"

The woman's eyes widened and her mouth fell ajar slightly as an aura of discomfort washed her scent.

Elesa smacked his arm harshly and clasped his shirt, forcing him to focus his eyes on her light-blue ones. "Don't speak with her, and stop being such a moron!

Emmet nodded obediently and stayed as still as shivering person could. Checking the time on the clock in front of her, Elesa grunted. He was supposed to be attended at two and it was almost half past three in the afternoon. What the heck was that dentist doing with his patient?

She crossed her arms and ankles, closing her eyes to relax a little. It didn't last much, however, once the man beside her grabbed her arm and shook it tenderly until she re-opened them, successfully getting her attention.

"WHAT?"

". . . I'm nervous," he admitted shyly, visibly embarrased.

"And what do you want me to do about it?!"

The Subway Boss moved closer to her, not leaving a gap between their legs. "Just say something, whatever you want, without anger," he whispered, resting his head softly on her shoulder.

". . . Get off or I'm going to rip that tooth from your mouth with a pair of pliers."

Hurt, he lifted his head and she moved away from him.

Suddenly, the door that would lead him to hell swung open and an old man came out. The elderly went through the main door and left. Leaning out, the dentist pointed to Emmet and made a motion with his hand gently, asking him to enter.

"You know, I changed my mind." He stood up and pointed to the door the man just went through, grinning. "I'm going home."

"OH, NO, YOU WON'T!" Elesa yelled and stood up as well, grabbing his arm aggressively when he started to walk. "I waited for two hours, so get in there NOW."

"But I can't! Don't make me enter there, I can't."

The dentist and the purple haired woman exchanged a fleeting look, then resigned and watched their quarrel with startled expressions, neither of them wishing to interrupt.

"I swear, if you don't obey, I'll burn down your hair!"

"B-But you don't understand..."

"ENTER!"

"I-I... I'll do it if you come with me, " the terrified man pleaded, looking at her with hopeless eyes, desperately searching for sympathy.

"Forget it, I don't have to do that!"

Shivering notably, he turned around, facing the stranger woman. "Would you enter with me?"

"Please, stop talking to me or I'll call the police!" the frightened woman threatened, using the book as a shield.

The gym leader turned him around, grabbing his shirt. "I can feel a migraine coming, so I recommend you to enter that room if you want to keep your life!"

"Please, please! I can't do it alone, I need you there!" he begged, on the verge of kneeling down for her.

"FINE! FINE! BUT GET IN THERE FOR ONCE AND ALL!"

She was going to receive a feral squeeze, but she pushed Emmet away; not the best moment for a Beartic hug. Both of them walked into the other room, passing by the startled dentist and leaving a psychologically traumatized woman on the waiting room.

.

It had been a very tough afternoon, and sadly, it hadn't reached its ending yet. The model wasn't sure how much more she could tolerate, but at least she had tried... mainly.

Elesa pushe the apartment door open and stepped in, threw the key in the nearby cupboard and walked towards the couch to sit down for a while.

Shortly after, Emmet walked in too, tottering the slightest bit. He closed the door without turning around, slumping his back on the wooden surface. Grinning, he watched Elesa through half-lidded eyes. She could tell the cheerful man was still disoriented since he had been anesthetized correctly as he had implored to the dentist uncountable times.

"Take that damn piece of cotton out of your mouth, I didn't understand anything of what you said in all the way."

"OKAY!"

Emmet removed the bloodstained piece of cotton as he was told. Not knowing what to do with it next, he tossed the cotton haphazardly across the room, screaming a chirpy and senseless 'weee' when it collided with one of the walls. Elesa made a disgusted face at that sight. White walls and blood didn't look nice.

"Oh god, I can't feel my face." He slapped his cheek softly many times. "Awesome! ELESA, SLAP ME!"

"Don't say it twice."

He kept slapping his cheek excitedly, his eyes gazing up as if he had made an essential discovery for mankind. At some point, the gym leader got tired, rushed to him and grabbed his wrist gruffly. "I can see why Ingo asked me to stay. You are even more stupid than usual when you are drugged."

The smile quickly disappeared. "You have been insulting me all day long, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just sick of you and your clumsiness."

"What? _Why_? I'm the one who should be fed up of you! But nooo!" The man clutched her arms and pushed her back while he staggered, forcing Elesa to slowly walk backwards until her legs bumped into the edge of the couch. "I take every single thing you do without complaining."

The model swatted his hands away. "It's not my fault you are so submissive."

He swallowed hard and ignored her comment. "There is no reason to be mad at me. I treat you very well and you don't even deserve it!"

"Look, I'm not having an argument with a drugged idiot right now, so drop it. If you don't want to be insulted, then don't talk to me!"

She sat on the couch, grabbing the remote control furiously and pushing Emmet aside to clear the way between her line of sight and the TV. He lost a little his balance, but easily caught hold of the small table so as not to fall.

"Alright then. As you wish," the dazed man mumbled before heading to the kitchen.

His head felt heavy and it was very difficult to articulate words in a consistent sentence or walk normally, but nothing stopped him from opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of wine. From her sitting position on the couch, Elesa heard the unmistakable and familiar sound of a glass bottle full of alcohol softly hitting a hard surface.

_'Holly crap.'_ She ran to the kitchen and snatched the bottle from Emmet's hands. "ARE YOU INSANE!? YOU CAN'T DRINK UNDER THE EFFECTS OF ANESTHESIA!"

He looked at her like a kid who had been reprehended unfairly. "But I'm never at home this early, why can't I drink in my own apartment?"

By the time he ended talking, Elesa had already put back the drink in the fridge. Her features twisted into a murderous expression with narrow eyes. "Sit in the living room when I may see your movements."

Complying, he followed the gym leader and sat close to her. To spend more time and overcome the rest of the day, she started zapping through the channels, looking for something to distract her, or preferably, to distract Emmet.

"I'm feeling sleepy, can I take a nap?"

"It's 6:00 p.m., but do whatever you want."

"Would you yell at me if I use your lap as a pillow?"

Elesa inhaled deeply through her nose. "Until my throat hurts, so don't even think about it and better move away, you are too close."

The Subway Boss obeyed, as he had been doing all the afternoon, and slipped onto the couch to the opposite end, feeling a stinging pang of hurt within his chest. Never before she had complain about closeness, his personality or his clumsiness. She had allowed him to sleep on her lap several times, even in public, and at the time she was refusing to do it in private, when they usually weren't so limited with their touch due to the absence of spectators.

_'What if she finally got a serious relationship with some other man and she is trying to dismiss me? What if she is bored of me?'_ he thought, increasing the pain in his chest. No matter how bad she acted with him or how many men she dated, although it all hurt immensely, nothing hurt more than thinking about Elesa ending their 'relationship'. Emmet admitted it was a sickening one, but he needed her so much that it was enough. He had learnt to conform with it, even though the man ached for a real relationship with her since the beginning.

How would it be to know if they have a future together? How would it feel to have her for him and only him? He dreamt of that, he suffered trying to keep their attempt of relationship, hoping to make it real one day. He knew how demeaning was his acceptance, but if he had this, he was able to have hopes, whereas if he lost it, there wasn't anything to wait for.

Voiceless minutes went by, the TV being the only source of sound. Emmet was closer to fall asleep every minute, not sure if the reason was anesthesia or he simply felt tired and sleepy. Either way, he didn't want to fall asleep without talking to her first; his insecurity would gnaw his dreams.

Staring dolefully at her, he awaited to be noticed again, though she had no intention on moving away her eyes from the trashy film, much too his disappointment ". . . You were going date another man. That was your plan, wasn't it?"

"None of your business."

"And that's why you are angry with me, I made it impossible, right?"

"Shut your mouth, I'm trying to listen," she hissed, her eyes not looking away from the TV.

The Subway Boss gave up and laid on the backrest._ 'She doesn't even look at me.'_

He focused his tired eyes on the film, his eyelids turning heavier and heavier until he became less aware of his surroundings. When he was about to sleep in, through that point in which you don't know if you are dreaming or thinking, Elesa grabbed his arm and forced him to move closer. He snapped his eyes open and Elesa gently pushed him down, his head landing on her lap. The stunned man turned on his back to see her.

"Be careful, don't make me change my mind," Elesa suggested seriously, almost like a warning.

Emmet smiled gratefully at the only sort of kind action she did; the model likely knew the emotional pain she was causing. In spite of her inexplicable anger, Elesa wasn't a heartless person.

For more than half an hour, no words were said. He had fallen asleep and she was paying minimal attention to the terrible teen movie. The gym leader wondered why she hadn't changed the channel, but there wasn't a specific reason, so she made herself as comfortable as a cushion could, resigning and closing her eyes for a while. She must have fallen asleep too, because when her eyes shot open for unknown reasons, there was a large gap in her mind after the moment her eyelids fell shut. The model could see through the picture window that it was pretty dark outside, and the sudden pain she felt on her neck and the numbness in her legs hinted a nap too.

Elesa stretched her upper body, stroking and massaging her neck. She wanted to do the same with her legs, but Emmet's head prevented it for at least one of them. Eying him, she noticed his shoes were on the floor and he was laying on his back with bent legs and his feet on the couch. _'Ah, then he woke up at some point.'_

Her eyes travelled all the way to that small angelical smile he always had while sleeping. "How do you do that?" she asked in a whisper, reaching out to touch tenderly his face with her fingertips. She caressed his cheek lovingly, sliding her hand down to the side of his neck. Elesa acknowledged that if he woke up and found her doing such a thing, all her effort would be in vain, because it was always the same, a simple caress slowly would lead to passionate kissing and neither him nor her would hinder it until they reach the limit. Nevertheless, she was beginning to consider the idea of sending her plan of restraint to hell. The purpose was to stop hurting him, but in the end, wasn't she hurting him even more? It was a very badly thought plan to mistreat Emmet without reasons. They could have spent their private time together, doing stuff so much more... ahem, interesting.

_'No, don't think like that. I must carry on to make him realize that I'm not a good choice, that he deserves someone better.'_

She brushed slightly the bangs on his forehead, running her hand down his cheek for a second time and trailing her thumb over his lower lip. _'But... god, you are so cute, how am I going to resist?' _Her hand stroked his chest and went down his stomach, painfully slow. _'I need you so bad, but I can't give in now. It's obvious you were hurt today, but we both know you'll eventually end much more hurt if I don't end this for once and all.' _No matter how much Elesa debated with herself, she wanted him to wake up and notice her touch to recover the lost time; her hand contradicted all thoughts and kept caressing his stomach in unfinished circles, making its way down to his belt buckle. The blonde model bit her lip and hesitantly tried to undid it.

She abruptly removed her hand when she sensed voices and movements coming from outside. The door swung open and both Ingo and Hilda showed in. Elesa sighed in relief and thanked them in her mind. If if were not for them, she would have done something really stupid.

_'Okay, so, this means I slept for... more than four hours? Oh, I'm such a mess.'_

"You are still here?" the older twin asked, surprised.

"You are talking to me, but no, I'm not here, so you must me drunk or something."

Hilda laughed at her angry sarcasm. For some reason, she found the gym leader's bad mood artificial and funny.

"Mmm, I see you are still a little rabid."

Smirking, Hilda tugged lightly his coat sleeve and pointed at Elesa's lap. "I think you owe me a lunch."

"I disagree, don't you see the hate in her eyes, Hilda?"

Elesa raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Have you made out today?" Hilda asked sassily, taking a step and putting her hands on her hips.

"_WHAT?_ NO!"

The young girl mumbled a disappointed 'ooh', pouting a little and dropping her arms to her sides. Ingo took some steps forward and bent to match her ear level. "It seems that _you_ owe me a lunch," he playfully breathed on her ear.

". . . Damn it." Hilda cursed, looking at him over her shoulder.

"You two bet on us!?"

"Um, no... you must have heard wrong."

"Yeah, you must be drunk or something," the older Subway Boss added smugly to complete Hilda's answer, earning a cackle from the girl and a hatred glare from the model. "Did he behave correctly?"

Elesa sighed and shook the man on her lap energetically to wake him. One of her legs was ready to be amputated, she had to stretch it as soon as possible. Shaking him again, his eyes finally fluttered open and set a baffled gaze on her, as if expecting an explanation.

She grabbed his shirt sleeve and desperately pull it, forcing him to sat down. "No, he behaved like an idiot." Elesa paused to stretch her legs, a tingling sensation running over her legs. "I don't know how I managed to stand him. He refused to be attended and even tried to escape."

Being woken up violently and hearing an insult coming from one of the people you love most can't make anyone happy. Eyes downcast, the younger twin touched the scarcely swollen side of his face to hide his emotional distress.

"He had extremely painful experiences with dentists. Don't be so harsh, Elesa," Ingo requested as he made himself comfortable on the armchair.

Sensing his tone, she eyed Emmet and suddenly felt guilt washing over her. He actually looked mirthless and it was because of her actions, again. The more she saw how her attitude affected him, the more Elesa considered a different way to end their twisted relationship.

Softened by his sorrow, the model gave a curt nod. "Well, this time was the other way around: in an attempt to refuse, _he_ bit the dentist. I think that poor man is going to lose half of his index finger."

"Really? You did that?"

Emmet shrugged his shoulders innocently and looked at his older twin. "I told him to back off and he didn't. He can't complain though, it was better than a punch in the eye. This one was very lucky!" he exclaimed proudly, eliciting a chuckle from Ingo and the blue eyed girl. "Are you staying the night again, Hilda?"

"No, not tonight, I told my mother I would go home. Just came to check on you," she answered, walking towards him when he looked at her with those manipulative puppy eyes. She sat on his lap as if he were some disguised Santa waiting for little children in a shop and threw both arms around his neck, rubbing the safe side of his face with her own sweetly. He embraced her and reciprocated the display of affection. "Don't worry, you'll see me very soon."

With a roll of her eyes, Elesa rested her elbow atop the armrest and her cheek on her fist. Of course she wasn't jealous of Hilda, but their actions reminded her about the wasted afternoon, her addiction for Emmet and... _'What I'm doing here, anyways?'_ She stretched her legs some more, the tingling no longer a problem, meaning she was ready to come back to her own apartment. She stood up and made her way towards the door. "Alright, I'm outta here. See you around."

"Wait, Elesa, wait!" the younger twin cried out and moved Hilda from his lap gently, jogging over to the model, who sent him a questioning glare as she opened the door instead of laughing at his feet covered in two different pair of socks.

"What do you want?"

Emmet leaned his hand on her waist and led her out, trailing after her and closing the door. Once outside, he fixed his grey eyes on her light-blue ones and haltingly caressed her face with one hand. She felt like melting, it was impossible to ignore the sadness reflected on them. He took a small breath and swallowed hard, trying to think of a proper question. ". . . May I kiss your cheek, please?"

Her eyes filled with sympathy. Elesa opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she didn't answer and looked away from him. Not finding the words, she just closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, showing him the allowed area, the same cheek he hadn't touched – it was his chance, he couldn't ruin it. Carefully, he planted a soft moist kiss on her cheek once... twice... three times... until he managed to earn an almost inaudible whimper from the back of her throat. That only encouraged him to jump right into the pool, trailing smooth kisses along her jawline, his lips making its way down her neck as Elesa fought the urge to hug him and smash their lips together.

His mouth began to apply more pressure and he placed his free hand on her lower back, bringing her closer to his body to create some friction between them. By the time their middles were pressed against each other and his lips had made its way to her cheek again, dragging until the corner of hers were reached, she regained enough willpower to grunt and shove Emmet sharply. His back collided with the door, causing a loud sound to echo in the large hall.

He couldn't do anything aside from staring at her with a hurt expression. The gym leader saw it, but she only stepped back a little so as not to leap into his arms and hysterically ask for forgiveness. Their gazes met for some seconds as Elesa backed away, until she turned around and ran towards the stairs as fast as she could, going downstairs and out of his sight. The Subway Boss felt a hand were squeezing his heart mercilessly.

What was he supposed to do? Run after her? Stay outside so that his brother and friend wouldn't see him suffer?

No, those didn't seem good ideas – he opted for getting back into the apartment quickly. His twin was still sitting on the armchair while Hilda was sitting on its armrest, her hands shyly between her thighs. Their eyes full of concern confirmed they had obviously heard the loud thud.

"Did something happen?" Ingo asked, in spite of knowing the answer.

"No, no, why do you ask?"

"You look depressed..." Hilda commented, fairly worried.

"Oh, no, it's just that... the wound is starting to ache as that damn dentist said, and it bothers me a little."

Both of them knew it was true, but that wasn't the reason to his noticeable sadness. At that moment, Hilda decided not to speak anymore and Ingo to simply play along; he would talk to him when the opportunity arose. "Did he prescribed some painkillers?"

"According to him, the pain will be bearable, thus it's not necessary," the younger twin informed, walking up to Hilda. He kissed her cheek softly and she smiled at him. "I'm going to sleep, be careful on the way home."

"Okay, sleep well."

He took his shoes and went down the hall, leaving his brother and friend alone.

"He was lying," Hilda stated aloud, shifting slightly on the armrest to get a better view of the remaining Subway Boss.

"Indeed."

As she was relatively taller than him in that position, the girl took the chance to snatch his cap away, not on purpose, but rather instinctively. "What do you think that happened outside?"

He sighed and focused his gaze on the stolen cap. "I don't know, but I can assure he is going to tell me later."

"I hope all gets better, it really makes me sad when he is like that," she said while fidgeting with the cap.

No more comments came from their mouths. It seemed the older twin was affected too.

"What would you say if I stay the night again?" Hilda randomly asked to make him forget for a while, hoping to hear his voice again.

"I wouldn't mind at all."

"Well, next time I'm staying then," she stated, twirling his cap on one finger.

For some reason, that made Ingo a little nervous. Both what she told him and the spinning cap. But in this case, he could only do something about the cap. He reached out to take it back, and she quickly stood up, moving away from him. "I understand why you don't let me have your cap while you work, but why can't I have it here, uh? You lose authority without your beloved cap?" Hilda scoffed, smirking archly.

The man barely furrowed his eyebrows. "Authority has nothing to do with a simple cap, I just don't like to be teased with it. May I have it back, please?"

"Fine," she whined, throwing him the cap in a frisbee-style. "I must go, anyway."

"Shall I go down with you?" he offered, getting up and taking enough steps to be in front of her.

"No, thanks, it's not necessary..." The trainer headed to the door, taking the handle. "I'll see you soon."

"Hilda, wait, come here."

She looked at him over her shoulder and let go of the handle to fulfil the order. "Yeah?"

The man in black pulled out his Xtransceiver. "Upon getting home, you are going to send me a message."

She grinned mischievously at him, pulling out hers. "You'll have to register me too... meaning I'll give you a call whenever I want."

"Alright, I will take the risk," he chuckled cordially.

Once that was done, Hilda feinted to leave and paused, turning around. She got closer to Ingo and practically tackled him in a hug, standing on her toes in order throw her arms around his neck. Though he was taken by surprise and had promised himself to stop physical acts of affection, he didn't doubt for a second, and gave in the tender embrace. When the blue eyed girl let go, the Subway Boss took the opportunity to bent over and kiss her cheek warmly, eliciting a soft gasp from her. He quickly kiss it again and seized her temple to weakly nuzzle the area. "Be careful," he whispered near her ear.

Hilda couldn't help clutching his shoulders after his hot breath brushed against her face. She nodded slowly and kissed him back on the cheek amorously, and just like that, they moved apart in silence.

The trainer smiled coyly and walked to the door, her face all red as a tomato. "Bye."

"Bye. Don't forget about the message, please."

"I won't," she smiled at him one last time and left.

Ingo let out a breath he had been holding without realizing; it was incredible how she managed to psych him out and make his insides go crazy. _'No, definitely, I can't do anything more than resist.'_

He sighed and went down the hall – he wasn't going to neither read nor sign anything. There was a more important problem he needed to fix. The man knocked at his twin's room. "Emmet, I know you are still awake and something happened to you..." He trailed off, expecting and answer. But upon no getting one, Ingo continued his speech. "I am not going to be in the study-room, so if you want to speak, feel free to come by my room."

He stood there for a while, waiting for a sign of his brother. It wasn't possible that Emmet had fallen asleep so fast if he was depressed, but he couldn't even hear the slightest sound coming from inside. Not feeling like invading his privacy, he went to his room. Eventually, his brother would show up if his problem was so serious.

The day had been very nice indeed, yet a little dense considering the man had only slept two hours. Although he didn't want to sleep yet, lying on the bed to relax a little sounded like the most brilliant plan. He removed his uniform and put on a pair of black pants and a grey T-shirt. Before getting under the covers, he made sure all the removed clothes were on the right place and then proceed to make himself comfortable in bed, folding his arms behind his head.

He recalled all moments with Hilda: their legs brushing, the kiss on the forehead, her hugs, their hands interlacing, random talks and the kiss he had reacently planted on her cheek. No, he absolutely was doing a bad job. Ban physical affection? Impossible. Like Ingo had assumed, he could just try to resist and stop wondering if this was mutual, because it obviously wasn't. Hilda would choose a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old, why would she be interested in a man twice her age?

It was a shame though, such a perfect person for him and he couldn't allow himself to at least try to have her. There were lots of dilemmas in his poor saturated mind. As a matter of fact, his feelings for Hilda implied attraction in a critical high level, but it wasn't just that, he actually felt something potent for her, because it wasn't all about her body –which he found incredibly alluring– it was about her as a person as well. Even though she sometimes behaved like the teenager she was, most of the time, Hilda resembled a mature, smart girl, and aside from his twin, he couldn't think of another person he enjoyed talking to that much.

Ingo had considered the idea of being in love with her several times, and he wasn't sure if it made his situation more acceptable or even worse. As love is somehow connected with passion, the feeling was the same: he desired a youth.

Besides, he had never been in love in his whole life, so how could he know?

Whatever he was feeling, either love or just 'a crush', it had grown strong and couldn't be accepted. He had to struggle as not to fall into the dark sickening intentions produced by his own body, no matter his urges or _special needs._

. . . Right?

A knock at the door caused his body to flinch under the sheets.

"Are you decent?"

The man laughed. Of course his twin would finally show up, it was a habit for both to chat in his bed. He actually didn't know why they had separated rooms; Emmet slept in his brother's frequently. "Yes, I am, come in."

The younger twin swung the door open and quickly close it again once he was inside. Meanwhile, Ingo was made some space for him, moving the covers so he could get under them too. He approached the bed and joined him, laying on his side next to his brother. Ingo realized that his problem was quite serious. When he chose to lay next to him, it meant exactly that. He needed to talk about the issue, otherwise, he would have laid on the foot of the bed and just comment random subjects until falling asleep, probably without covering himself.

"There's a problem with Elesa, isn't it?" the older twin guessed, gently, his eyes on the ceiling. In his peripheral vision, he saw Emmet nodding and clutching the sheets in front of his mouth. "Tell me what happened."

". . . Well, you noticed she was kind of moody," he started with a muffled voice, moving the sheets a bit so he could speak clearly. "I don't know what was the problem itself, but she insulted me all day long, and I mean real insults, as if she wanted to hurt me. When we were outside, I tried to... kiss her. She pushed me violently against the door and left without uttering a word."

"It sounds incomplete, aren't you forgetting some important details? I am sure you asked about her anger, what did she tell you?"

His question was answered with silence. At first, Ingo believed his twin was taking time to answer properly, but after several seconds, he caught sight of Emmet's watery eyes.

By obvious reasons, they used to cry a lot in the past. During childhood and half of their adolescence, most tears had been shed, especially speaking about the younger of them who was the most dejected and vulnerable. Ingo hadn't cried again since his father died, and so hadn't his brother, but he still was the most sensitive and his eyes would fill with tears that, in the end, would never stream down his face. It was how he exposed his higher point of depression.

And how the older of them felt his life collapse. He suffered at that mere sight.

"She is fed up with me..." Emmet whispered, his grief no longer unnoticed. "Should I... change? Am I that childish?"

Turning on his side, Ingo locked eyes with him. "You don't have to change anything. You are just fine, and if she can't see that, probably somebody else will." He reached out to run a hand through his twin's hair. "Most people have important and complex defects on their personalities that need to be corrected, or at least, improved. I can assure you aren't one of those."

He earned a sincere smile from his brother, and the latter blinked the tears away. "Thank you..." The smile disappeared just as it came. "But the big problem is... I don't want someone else; I'm in love with her, and I'm also well aware about you thinking this is just passion, but it's not what it looks like."

"Sorry, I have never been in love. I don't know how it feels or how to correctly identify it."

Emmet narrowed his eyes, his sorrow soon falling into oblivion, and pushed his brother's chest with the palm of his hand. "Oh, don't be silly! You are in love right now!"

"I am not! And we aren't talking about that" the older twin yelled back, clearly frustrated, not feeling like having another conversation about that issue like most nights. "Look, if you wish to carry on with your twisted relationship with Elesa, do it. I just hope you are conscious of the pain you may have to overcome later."

"Believe me, I would suffer more without her... and that's the hardest part for me." He closed his eyes and tucked his hands under his face, taking a sleeping position. "But enough for today, I don't want to speak anymore about Elesa, she's been my main subject for the last two years."

"Alright, is that is what you wish. We can talk about this any other day."

Ingo didn't turned, however. He wanted to make sure Emmet was actually feeling better, not pretending. He hadn't opened his eyes again, but Ingo could tell he was still awake.

"Thanks for listening. You are an excellent brother."

"You are welcome." He ran a hand through his twin's hair once more. "Do you really feel better?"

"Yeah, considerably better... and sleepy, but if you want to speak about Hilda and how much you love her..."

"Oh, shut your mouth and sleep," the older Subway Boss barked and turned on his side angrily, pulling the sheets with him more than necessary, his back to Emmet.

"Okay, okay, I'll sleep. Can I put my leg over you to do so, Ingo?"

"Don't you dare."

"But I like sleeping in that position! Why do you think there are two pillows in my bed?"

"Forget it, I said no."

"Come on! I don't snore, I don't kick, I don't drool, and the most important, I don't sweat in my sleep! I deserve to put my leg over you!"

"NO!"

"I'll pay you!"

Ingo glared at his twin over his shoulder viciously, only to found him with open eyes and a blank expression. In response, a toothy broad smile appeared on his face in an attempt to persuade him and dispel his glare to no avail. "Emmet, no!"

Defeated, he whined a little and his twin finally looked away, making himself comfortable.

More than half an hour went by.

Judging by the scarse snoring coming from his 'little' brother, Ingo assumed he was the only one awake and would remain as such until he received a particular message. There was no chance he could fall asleep so worried, much less when Hilda could have stayed with them if he had insisted.

He shifted lightly, intending to face Emmet, but when he noticed his face uncomfortably close to his very own, he opted for simply looking at the ceiling, enabling his thoughts to wander his mind again, a pair of shiny blue eyes present in all of them... and suddenly, he heard a small device sound. Ingo immediately reached out for his Xtransceiver on the lamp table and checked the screen.

_'Arrived safe and sound! Thanks for everything! I hope you dream about me! (Mainly, I hope you sleep, at least.)_

_P.S: I'll be back this week to stalk both of you._

_Good night!'_

A thin smile formed on his lips against his will. He left the communication tool on the table and got under the covers again, as comfortably as he could.

If only she knew; he definitely was going to dream about her.


	4. To Comfort

**A/N: **Three months later and I am back... HAPPY EXTREMELY LATE NEW YEAR, DEAR PEOPLE.

Now, allow me to write a few words.

First off, I want to add that the whole N drama thing is part of the story. Not the center, no. A little important, yes. It is one of the topics of this chapter and it is probably going to be present on most future chapters from now on.

**rachel1992: **'I'm you loyal reader now.' Well, that phrase made _my_ day. Thank you, I appreciate it a lot :3

**Garnet Literature: **You know? I assumed somebody would dislike Elesa. I do not blame you. She just came out like this and I am not really sure why. It is part of the plot, I guess... And no, I know I mentioned that the relationship between Emmet and Hilda was a sort of 'brotherly love' because he overprotects her, but their relationship is in fact one of very good friends.

As for the love triangle (Transitshipping, I think it is called) I will not comment much about this because somehow, I will end up giving away the story. My explanations are extensive and always explain more than they should, but I can explain why this is not a triangle: I am very loyal to Expressshipping and Conductorshipping. Basically, it hurts me to write about them being with others (Elesa will be my ruin, for example). Yeah, I know it is weird. The saddest part is that I will have to write about them with other people at some point in this fic and _very soon._

Anyways, I felt like I needed to answer your interesting review. Thanks a lot for reading and for your opinions w.w

And thanks to those who support me from the dark shadows too. Every 'favorite' or 'follow' means the world to me!

Oh, and what happens at the end of the chapter is pretty obvious, yet not graphic or explicit, so no M-rate for now :P

That would be all. Enjoy!

* * *

No, definitely no book could save him.

Compared with previous days, that one was bored as flipping through reports at two in the morning. Losing the last bit of interest in the novel, Ingo folded the corner of the page and closed it. He enjoyed reading, it was distracting, perfect for those times in which he had to wait for challengers to make their way towards him, but he had got so used to being with Hilda over time that spending an afternoon with her almost turned into part of his life. What a bad habit he had developed, she couldn't ride the Battle Subway all days. How much he missed her and how much her absence caused his days to feel like crap was incredible; there was a noticeable difference between days with her and the lonely ones. Why couldn't she be there with him again? It had been five days without her. Not as much as two or three weeks that would cost him an important portion of his sanity, but still! Ingo couldn't recall when he had exactly started to miss Hilda like that, but he felt rather miserable if she wasn't around for so much unnecessary time.

Luckily for him, they were going to meet and spend a gratifying time if all went according to the plan. _'Only one more stop, don't be impatient.'_ He thought and gripped his thighs in anxiety. Not only his overloaded mind was suffering, but also were his insides. He felt them twine, increasing his uneasiness, adding physical pain and stimulating the suicidal idea of throwing himself out of the moving train just to seek out for her.

_'One. More. Stop.'_ He repeated, squeezing his eyes shut.

It was impressive the way all changed. Before meeting her, days at work didn't seem so senseless, he was okay dealing with them and the most entertaining was to run the Multi Trains alongside his twin for perhaps a pair of hours, until one day she just appeared and modified all his priorities.

Her arrival grew into the most important.

At first, she would only come with Hilbert and both Subway Bosses would relentlessly shoot them down in a battle. Ingo remembered how he felt when his eyes spotted Hilda, the way she gradually became a worthy opponent, how she seemed to be a little afraid of them – totally comprehensible to him – and the manner in which he looked forward to seeing her again after she left. He knew about its iniquity, but as if it wasn't enough, she began to come every three or four days, without Hilbert, _alone_ to ride the _single trains_. Of course they would get closer, his feelings would intensify and the man would miss Hilda to death if she didn't show up for some days, a situation that didn't occur with anyone but her. It wasn't his fault, though. All happened despite his effort to avoid and deny everything, simply out of his control.

_'There has to be something twisted in my mind.'_ Ingo sighed while he took a firm hold of the book on his lap, preparing to get out as the train slowed down. _'Lots of challengers, numerous women around my own age... and I want her.'_ He told himself with disgust, shaking his head and trying to resign. Once the train stopped completely, the Subway Boss took a deep breath to dispel repetitive thoughts and walked out, heading to his office.

During the walking, new thoughts filled his brain. He was aware that leaving before his day at work ended was going to raise a few minimal yet bothersome problems, such as written complaints which shall be read and signed by his own hand, but he HAD to see the trainer and his twin needed to have fun and be supported to overcome his depression. At least for that day, he could allow themselves to leave at six p.m. and do something to cheer Emmet up, and it would be even easier with help. They didn't leave early very often and both had permission to do it as long as they notify that the Subway would be riden solely for transport, so there wouldn't be serious troubles, just... more entertaining paperwork.

A few steps away from the office, the Subway Boss saw Hilda near the door, making a video-call on her Xtransceiver. She lifted up her gaze at the sound of steps and noticed his presence. "Oh, hi! I was about to call you."

At the mere sight of that smile she always had when greeting him, he felt relieved, and also a swarm of Beautifly inside his stomach, but better to focus on the way desperation felt less insufferable. He took the remaining steps to fully face her. For once his insides could calm down. "Sorry for being late, but in my defense, I thought you weren't punctual."

Hilda kept smiling and put one hand on her hip, a pompous expression on her face. "Oh, but I am."

"I can see that. Thanks for coming, I hope you actually weren't busy as you mentioned."

"Don't worry, I wasn't doing anything." She waved her hand in the air, dismissing the indirect accusation. "I was going to come tomorrow to see you two, anyways, and I would do everything that I can to brighten Emmet." Hilda grimaced considerably. "Hard to believe he is still upset about Elesa."

"Well, he is dreary about that, but it's not the only reason..." He entered his office as Hilda went after him. The Subway Boss placed the book on the desk and he leaned on it, roughly sitting, with his hands resting on the edge and eyes gazing at the girl who still had no intention on walking further into the room. "Today marks fourteen years since our father died. I don't feel very sorry about that, but it is different in his case and he turns more sensitive than normal."

_'Thank you for listening, I really needed that.'_ Hilda recalled in her mind. She was very opportune with her questions, it seemed. If only that man admitted his own sorrow the same way his younger twin did, all would be easier because he did felt something, regardless of how apathetic he pretended to be. Hilda nodded and mumbled a softhearted 'mmm', overriding her own conclusions for the time being. "We are going to cheer him up, you'll see." She assured in a low tone. "Tell me what you have in mind."

"Not too much, just walk around. He likes to be out of here at this time of the day... and I think Elesa is coming with us."

The trainer tilted her head to the side and knitted her eyebrows. "What? Wasn't she mad at him?"

"I don't know. Today she came after lunch. When we were about to leave the office, she told Emmet they had to talk and he accepted. A while later they left together."

"It's pretty evident what they had to talk." Hilda sighed and rolled her eyes. "Is he going to forgive her?"

"Of course, he would give away a kidney just to be with Elesa, what kind of question is that?" Ingo asked grotesquely, frowning at the way his brother was downgrading himself. He looked away and softened his expression. "Besides, it's better for today. Emmet needs distraction and she looked genuinely regretful." He added in a calmer voice. Getting irritated because of their problems wouldn't solve any of them.

"And she wants to make amends for whatever she did today, that's an action to be glad for."

"We told her about our father's death, she must remem–"

Ingo paused mid-sentence when someone turned the knob from the outside. The door cracked open and the Subway Boss in white peeped out, leaning his hands on it and its frame. "Brother, do you need something? Is everything–?" Emmet noticed Hilda's presence. "Oh, hey there!" The younger twin saluted with a feeble smile to mask his crestfallen and quite perceptible aura. She waved at him, smiling. "Uh, am I interrupting?" He asked in an honest and serious tone, no teasing.

"No, no!" His sibling rushed, moving away from the desk. "I called you because we are leaving early and Hilda is coming with us. Where would you like to go?"

Blink.

Infernal silence.

"Are you sure? Our absence it's sort of problematic, you said so yourself."

"It is just for one day, we haven't left early for a long time."

Emmet ignored the apocalyptic abnormality. ". . . Okay, in that case let's go and then we'll see." His gaze lit up as he grinned. "I'll take Elesa with us." Emmet pointed over his shoulder. "She's outside."

His older twin nodded and the three went outside to find Elesa standing there, her arms crossed in her calm, characteristic fashion. In seconds, awkward tension filled the area when she saw Ingo and Hilda. They hadn't said nor done anything to judge her, yet she felt ashamed for hurting his own family and Hilda's friend... but she sadly had done it before and her relationship with them didn't change, so it was going to be the same this time because they never mixed her problems with Emmet and her friendship with them. Even though those two – especially Hilda – got mad and preached her for certain attitudes, both issues were detached one from the other. Despite the tension, the three of them greeted as any other day and after a short moment of uncomfortable silence, Hilda demanded 'to leave for once and all' and they agreed wordlessly, heading outside the Subway Station together.

* * *

The sunset was way too beautiful to be at the amusement park surrounded by hyperactive kids and sick affectionate couples. They weren't going to mess around in there, not when they could do that in a more peaceful place. The outskirts of Nimbasa, for example, met such a feature. Not too remote or deserted, but quiet enough. Tall buildings began to look scarcely distant. The beginning of the large deep lake was very near them and Driftveil Drawbridge could be seen several feet away through the small gaps that formed between the leaf and branches of high trees. There were two trainers having a rotation battle some meters away, far enough as to barely hear their commands or the sound of attacks colliding, and a young small group of teens sitting in an incomplete circle under a tree, watching the battle in the distance and hanging out.

"How ironic." Hilda spoke as they rambled through the woods. "We didn't go to the park because of the lovesick couples and we have to stand you two." She commented playfully, glaring at the... 'item'... walking in front of her. Emmet had his arm around Elesa's shoulders, holding the woman close, and she had hers around his waist. They sensed the lack of badness in her words as well as her gaze on their backs and both chuckled at them, taking no offense.

"Save the irony for later." Ingo advised Hilda, one step behind her. "This is nothing."

Still looking ahead, Elesa raised her free arm and lifted a finger feebly, trying to point at him without turning around or pausing the embrace. "Poker-faced man has just said the wisest words, you listen to him." She dropped her arm in a tired manner.

"Stop calling him like that." Emmet tried to mumble close to her ear, but failing due to the giggle that escaped his mouth. "Be understanding, these two are behind us, miserably alone, when they are _two_ people that could be like us and–"

"Shut up." The elder twin and the girl commanded in unison, making the other two laugh at their own counterattack.

The group walked a little further in silence, as if they were heading somewhere in special, though they were merely waiting for somebody to decide what to do. All of them, except for Hilda. She was instead considering an idea she came up with after Emmet's mocking remark. The trainer reflected about an spontaneous conclusion that would possibly save her ass – or well said, her mental health – in the long term: She couldn't debate with herself every single time she wished to please a minuscule want related with her crush, no. She had to act and stop burning her brain with unimportant minor dilemmas. Shyness never had something to do with her personality and yes, maybe 'crush' was a trivial word to describe her feelings, but Hilda was kind of scared to label it in another way by that time.

Inspired in her recent conclusion and not totally sure about it, the blue eyed girl found herself reaching for _his_ hand and hocking her fingers around his gloved ones. Only at the time her hand shot up she reconsidered the idea, but it was too late.

She had slipped her hand into his.

Ingo looked at their linked hands keenly and then at the trainer, asking for an explanation through his confused face. Her lips pressed into a thin smile. "So that we don't resemble some forever alone people." She joked in a very low tone to keep it between them. The Subway Boss didn't speak. He kept his gaze on her as they walk, a serious expression she couldn't read this time forming on his face, until he drew his hand aside from her soft grasp and looked forward, never uttering a word.

She carried on walking, puzzled and slowly retracing the discouraged hand. It felt like a full-force kick on the chest for Hilda. Why in the world had she done that? It was like being drunk. You get the most foolish, unfounded idea such us jumping off the roof. You test it in spite of being aware of possible prejudicial aftermaths and _then_, you rethink about your brilliant idea, when you are falling with arms extended, believing both are wings or something. Not before doing it, no, but while you are putting it into action and finally, bang! You land face first on the floor, realizing the incredible stupidity you have committed. The difference was – beside soberness – that Hilda felt rejected but not like giving up yet. If a plan fails the first time, you will try again sometime, perhaps when you are sober? She had to go on, walking as if nothing significant had happened and fight back the embarrassment that washed over her. The trainer didn't want to think so much anymore. Said stage had to end.

_'What's done is done.'_ The girl soothed herself with steadiness, blue eyes fixed on her moving boots. _'I tried and failed, but that won't stop me from trying again in the future.'_

"Hey, let's lie down there like some friendly tramps."

She came to a halt at the younger twin's request along with the rest of them. Emmet was pointing to an uneven ground area which was similar to a very short but widespread-to-the-sides hill, meters away from the lake shore. He released Elesa and jogged up there to let himself drop on his back over the grass, his friends and brother following him. The petite girl sat with knees bent and legs splayed out to each side in a 'w' shape, hands instantly tearing some grass to shred it into tiny pieces.

"We used to come here before, didn't we?" The model asked while she sat down beside Hilda, hugging her knees.

"Yes, it was like five years ago. We brought you here after you challenged me for the second time." Emmet recalled as he stared at the cloudless and slightly dark sky with a dreamy expression. He placed both hands under his head. "Good times."

"Yeah. I don't know why we didn't come anymore."

The younger twin shrugged. "No free time, new plans..." He turned his neck to glare at his elder sibling who was standing at the top of the little mound. "SOMEBODY became too boring."

". . . Excuse me?"

Hilda and Elesa couldn't help sniggering.

"You used to be funnier. Not as much as me..." A tint of smugness accompanied Emmet's voice. "But anyways, you were kinda funny sometimes. Do you remember when we 'fought' here?"

"Oh, I do." Elesa interrupted their soon to be an argument. "I was like some sort of referee whose job implied penalizing low blows."

"I do remember as well, you always lost in the most pathetic ways." Ingo uttered jestingly, smirking a bit and eliciting more snickers from both ladies.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The man in white stood up and spun around to face his twin defiantly, grinning like a madman. "Well, come on, let's see how you manage to win now."

Ingo held back a chuckle. "Don't be ridiculous, we are thirty years old."

"Thirty years my ass! We are twenty-nine and I'm like eight minutes younger than you!"

Hilda and Elesa looked at each other and burst into a fit of laughter. As if eight minutes were a big difference, please. He sounded like he was clinging with desperation to his last years of youth and his fake hysteria made it all funnier. To judge by the smirk Emmet wore, he was happy and obviously doing it on purpose, but that wasn't something new; he was very fond of entertaining them. Indeed, this was one of his favorite hobbies aside from bothering his twin and kissing the hell out of Elesa.

"I'm waiting your first move, brother." He teased, taking a professional fighter pose. One leg at the front, the other behind, his body swinging back and forth mildly and fists raised, prepared to either protect his face or attack. He even tried to make his gaze look menacing, but his inescapable smile didn't help. The gym leader stretched her legs with the urgent need of clapping her thighs due to the boisterous laughter. That scene was too much for her eyes.

Ingo opted for shaking his head in disapproval to bit back a cackle. He approached his brother to lower those fists and avoid further humiliation for both of them, but Emmet threw him a punch without warning before the man could try. Instinctively, he squeezed his eyes shut and moved his head to the side in an attempt to dodge it. However, he received a slap on the cheek instead, not strong enough to damage but quite heavy to bother him and, in addition, Elesa and Hilda made a long 'uuh' sound that exasperated him more. With wide eyes, Ingo adjusted his head and glared daggers at his grinning twin until he couldn't resist anymore. He tackled him violently to the ground, caps flying off their heads and landing on the grass as hysterical laughter filled the air once more. This time, it came from the younger Subway Boss too, though he stopped when his brother dug a knee into his stomach so he couldn't move and a moan of pain escaped his mouth. The elder twin flashed a ghoulish smirk, then he placed his hands around Emmet's face and leaned disturbingly close. "Apologize."

"What will you do?" The man in white couldn't prevent the cheerful cackle he let out. In point of fact, he was a little nervous about what his twin may do, but that wasn't going to cease humor. "Are you going to seduce me? To kiss me?" Emmet asked facetiously, a common toothy grin plastered on his face.

"Well, that would very interesting to watch. It's a fantasy to me." Elesa confessed aloud, chuckling.

Hilda made a disgusted face, keeping her smile. "You are very sick." She told the blonde woman in her less feminine voice.

"Did you hear that, Ingo? Shall we please Elesa and horrify Hilda?" Suggested the pinned man, winking.

The twin in black ignored all the teasing and took a rude hold of his brother's head, resting his own forehead on his, right on the line where skin and scalp met. He saw his younger sibling closing his eyes and how that grin shrank in anticipation. Emmet's hands travelled to his shoulders to push him away, but his twin was somewhat stronger. Maybe eating candies three times a week AS breakfast had its consequences. Ingo began to rub his forehead against that area as harshly and fast as he could, the friction creating a burning sensation on his now squirming twin in just a matter of seconds.

"AAH, SHIT! It burns, please STOP, STOP!" Emmet pleaded several times while he chortled, let out guttural cries and pulled at his twin's hair. "I'M DYING!" He knew his friends were laughing once more, that he was cackling and kicking like a lunatic and that it didn't matter how blithe he felt, the aggressive friction was too much to deal with. Therefore, his hands were forced to improvise. One moved to his brother's thigh, the other to his shoulder, near his back. The younger Subway Boss took a very small amount of skin from both body parts between his thumb and index finger and then proceed to pinch hard. Ingo half-cried and half-grunted and the feral rubbing came to a halt as Emmet seized the opportunity to push the man pinning him away. "Alright, no more." He panted and rested his arms on the grass, the bangs on his forehead disheveled in a high level.

Ingo rose to his feet and shook the grass off his sleeves, his back at Emmet, his gaze on her calming and red-faced friends. "That is the cleverest thing I have heard you– HEY!" All of a sudden, his brother's arms wrapped around his neck from behind, followed by Emmet's heavy weight on his back.

Nope, it hadn't ended yet.

"Carry me!" He chirped as the elder twin took hold of his legs so that his back wouldn't get injured.

"I won't resist your weight, get off!"

"Never! You are my Rapidash and I'm your horseman!"

The older Subway Boss heard the gym leader and the trainer snort, ready to experiment another fit of insane laughter. He froze for some seconds, trying to analyze that last sentence to find the slightest bit of sense, a real frown appearing on his face. "Are you actually saying these words?"

"Yes!" Emmet leaned his chin on his twin's shoulder. "Walk."

"Last time I was twenty-four, you feel too heavy for me now..." The Subway Boss paused and turning his head, he looked at the identical man into the eye, expecting him to move away on his own. Of course, it was like a brief blinking contest and nothing happened. "Get off or I will let you fall."

And there it was, his famous pout and puppy eyes.

"Look at that adorable face, _he_ is trying to seduce Ingo now. What a manipulative bastard." Hilda mumbled jovially to the model, in private, their tittering beginning for what felt like the millionth time.

The Subway Bosses noted the comment, and the younger one prepared to flush his gentleman manners down the toilet and yell an obscenity at them, but his brother unexpectedly trudged forward rather fast and giggles won the match. Yeah, that day had started badly due to past issues, but now it resembled so much of the only good times they shared. He was conscious of the complications this would cost them, still he had never seen neither his twin nor himself that energetic and it could be the one and only chance to do so in a very long time. Emmet felt he was sliding off his sibling's back and Ingo did too despite how, his pace sped up arduously as they moved away from their friends. Eventually, his body couldn't take it anymore, he loosened the grip on his brother's legs and let him fall to the ground on his rear. Shortly after, he also fell for no apparent physical reason.

They were some meters away from the girls. Ingo looked over his shoulder and saw his twin all sprawled on his back, laughing in mute thanks to the lack of air. Elesa was in the same condition, tearing up a bit while Hilda was laying on her back, cackling oddly, red-faced and holding her sides as if she was agonizing. The petite trainer tried to recompose and turned on her side, gazing at him. "Why did you fall?" She asked, furrowing her brows and still laughing.

"I didn't... want him to fall alone." Ingo answered quietly as he stood, the slightest suggestion of a smile forming on his face. He offered a hand to the other Subway Boss and he accepted it, knowing that he couldn't get up on his own cackling and twitching like that. Laughter died down and they walked over to both girl. The elder twin picked up his black cap on the way, placed it atop his head and sat down in front of them, on the fall of the uneven hill. His twin joined him in seconds.

"Such referees you two are. The burning thing was illegal and you did nothing." Protested Emmet, simulating indignation.

Hilda sat up abruptly, smirking. "But we did something."

"Yeah, we laughed." Elesa made fun of his complaint. "And that's something." She yawned. "Now, give me your coat, please."

Blink.

Blink.

"It... It isn't cold today."

The gym leader shrugged. "So? I want it."

"Fine?" He took off the treasured coat and handed it, smiling at her. Elesa snatched it from his hand and covered her back and shoulders, rotating them in a lazy and comfortable fashion.

"You want to smell it, don't you?" Hilda joked with a wicked smirk and half-lidded eyes.

"Wha...? No!" Elesa blushed and tensed her back, all previous ease repelled. "The fabric just feels good." She hugged her knees again and pretended to ignore their stares.

Considering the blank expression that Emmet wore, the Subway Boss was thinking deeply and not only staring. "We should buy some alcohol and go to the apartment." He proposed at random, catching their attention, much to Elesa's relief.

. . .

"I don't understand, what the heck inspired your idea?"

"Don't judge him, Ingo." The model demanded, narrowing her eyes at him then changing her expression to an enthusiastic one. "I second the motion."

"Oh, oh! Me too." Hilda agreed as she raised her hand. "I fancy soaking gummy bears in vodka and eat them. Let's do it and–!" The trainer cut off her cheerful exclamations. Ingo seemed angry after she spoke. No, not angry, shocked? Disgruntled? A mixture, perhaps? Well, it didn't matter. For sure, he wasn't happy and his penetrating look confirmed her suspicions. She found it quite scary and overly appealing at the same time.

Weird.

"Vodka? You can't drink alcohol at the age of fifteen, let alone such a strong drink. You are still a child!"

Hilda widened her eyes in rage. To the hell with fear and his attractiveness, she wasn't going to ignore _that_. "Excuse me? You call me a _child_? Fifteen years old, and I'm a child!? She asked with sharp utterance, clenching her fists.

The Subway Boss leaned forward to confront her tone, an intense frown plastered on his face. "That is what you are and therefore you must not drink." He spoke in the same way, glaring at her right in the eye.

"Well, too late! Hilda belongs to us now!" Elesa interrupted, patting the girl on the back as if she was admiring her to ditch the argument.

"Yeah, she is young, and what about it? As long as she can stand on her feet, there's no reason to tell her to stop." The younger twin played along, desperate for maintaining the gratifying moment. "Hilda knows what she does."

Their words were to no avail because the man in black paid no mind to them, he just kept his defiant eyes on hers. "Since when do you drink alcohol?"

"I started five or six months after my 14th birthday." Answered Hilda, calming down yet aiming to win their little dispute.

If possible, Ingo got even more furious at her openness free of guilt. It bothered him a lot, he didn't know why, but it aroused a sensation of discomfort inside him. "You think it is fine to start a harmful habit being so young? And you are proud of your choice?"

"Hey! It's not like that, you are exaggerating!" The blue eyed girl objected, truly offended. She tried alcohol and she liked it. Every now and then, Hilda would drink because she believed it had a funny effect, as any other person. This was average age to start, nothing to be alarmed by. "I'm sure you began to drink when you were very young too, or am I wrong?" Hilda raised an eyebrow to suffocate the man, her lips forming a lazy smile. "When did _you_ start?"

He opened his mouth and closed it again, gaining stares and quizzical smirks from his twin and the model who had been looking at each other awkwardly during their discussion. Both were waiting for a reply they already knew only to see how Ingo lost advantage and make fun at that. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to let her end this so easily. "You can't justify your actions by mine. What I did has nothing to do with–"

"When did you start?" She repeated, raising her tone to make sure he couldn't finish and enjoying every second for nameless causes.

Ingo could swear those smirks were ready to turn into scandalous laughter. His friends were well-informed about his whole story life, so no witty answer – or lie – was going to help him. They would betray him in no time. The elder twin sighed heavily, eyes softening in failure. "When I was fifteen."

There was no need to ruin their intention now and kill the mood, so she caught an air of superiority but soothed her glare and loosen up his body. "As I figured."

"Alright guys, forget it. Elesa and I will get ourselves drunk another day and you two aren't arguing anymore, closed topic."

After that, the grass seemed interesting for everyone but Hilda, who kept looking cautiously at Ingo while he feigned not to notice with a straight face. Emmet lifted his gaze just to realize that it had gotten dark, perhaps being seven p.m. or later. "Wow." In an attempt to speak again and kill the silence he hated so much, he encircled his brother's neck with one arm, drawing his face closer savagely and making his twin's sitting position somewhat uncomfortable, their eyes never locking. "We haven't fought for years..." Ingo blinked at the sudden closeness. Emmet had been invading his personal space a lot lately. "I didn't notice the afternoon was over. Time flies when you beat the crap out of somebody."

"Why do you say that? You didn't have a tender moment."

"Yeah, you cried and implored like an ugly little girl." Elesa added, unfolding her legs and hugging the white coat instead. Hilda couldn't stifle her derisive snicker at the Gym Leader's comment.

The younger Subway Boss was about to bombard Elesa with foolish insults, however, he got distracted by the trainer. "I accept it from them, but are _you_ laughing at me?"

"Who else would I be laughing at?"

Oh, that sarcastic tone and rogue smile hinted he had to teach her a lesson. "I'll give you something to have fun." Emmet threatened, shoving his brother to the side. His conventional grin and blissful pronunciation disfavored every purpose of a menace.

Expectedly, Hilda recognized his intentions behind that sentence and tried to get up and run away from him rapidly, but the man lunged at her before she prepared to do it. Her back hit the ground and she struggled to get the Subway Boss off her. He grabbed her arms in order to keep the trainer in place, but she managed to push him aside with all her strength. In the end, it didn't really help. Hilda wasn't as strong as Emmet, so she plainly couldn't do anything when he took her once more and kind of hugged her, or at least that's what she believed it happened. The man lifted her from the grass and they began to roll away from their friends against Hilda's will, both laughing uncontrollably. At some point, the blue eyed trainer lost her cap and Emmet stopped when he was on top of her, pinning her arms above her head again and forcing Hilda to stay still while their fit of cackles calm down a bit, authentic grins plastered on their faces. She noticed his face was coming closer to hers and suddenly, his tongue darted out and licked from her cheek to the corner of her eye, wetting half of her face in just one hasty lick.

"AAH, YOU ARE DISGUSTING! Hilda screamed at the top of her lungs between their laughter, encouraging the man to lick her again. "Ew, ew, GROSS! YOU SICK PRICK!" She cried again in a mixture of disgust and pure joy, shaking her head from left to right as he insisted to lick – and bite – more of her face. "I HATE YOU!"

In the distance, the other two watched their wrestling encounter with disinterest as high-pitched screams and occasional laughter echoed in the air. Elesa looked at Ingo and snapped her fingers three times to catch his attention. She pointed to the spot beside her with an emotionless expression, then she carried on hugging her knees and staring at the lake. After a heavy sigh, Ingo reluctantly complied with her silent order and moved to the indicated spot, his gaze landing on the lake too. He acknowledged what was coming next: one touching conversation about life.

"What is it?"

"You are jealous." Elesa stated bluntly in a low tone. "Don't you dare to deny it."

Ingo glared at her, confused. He could tell what was she referring to, but not what had led her to say it. "Jealous?"

The Gym Leader nodded. "Deep inside, you are a bit jealous of Emmet and Hilda." She tilted her head to the side, pointing to the source of laughter without taking her eyes off the lake. "You envy the easiness your brother has to speak or touch her, plus you think you aren't allowed to do that." The model waited for a response, but it didn't come and probably wouldn't come soon. This matter always was complicated to talk with him. "Look..." She continued, looking at the Subway Boss while his eyes fixed on the calm water again. "I know you have feelings for her, why don't you try to be more like him?" She pointed with her head again.

"I can't!" He hissed sharply, yet being careful with his volume. A spark of frustration and anger shone in his grey eyes. "She is fifteen, don't you get it? There is an age gap of fourteen years, I can't play the same games she plays with him!"

"They do it, why can't you? It's not like you are kidnapping her or something." She changed to a cross-legged position, leaning backward and supporting her hands on the ground. "What makes your brother able to be affectionate and what makes it impossible for you? He is the same age, eight minutes don't make any difference."

He eyed the model and then his twin and Hilda. They were laughing and screaming in glee as they bit, licked, _touched_ each other... and undoubtedly he was jealous. He knew Emmet didn't like Hilda in that way and vice versa, but deep inside, Ingo didn't want to see them like that, not when HE couldn't allow himself such a luxury. Their ways to show affection via their tongues and teeth would always be incomprehensible for him, though it didn't matter its weirdness. They seemed friends and felt like friends, nothing else. How inexplicable, Ingo loved and cared for his brother with all his soul. He actually trusted him in spite of not having admitted his eagerness for Hilda and simultaneously, resentfulness made its presence so evident. If only he could be the one being so close to her... a simple friendship wouldn't be intended. Not at all, and there was the problem. His intentions were so much concrete, so much darker. He couldn't let that happen, not with someone this innocent and flawless like Hilda.

"I saw what you did while we were walking." Elesa spoke again, attracting his startled eyes. "You shouldn't have rejected her hand, you wanted to hold it. Why did you refuse to do something so small?"

What caused it? Everybody seemed to be interested in that answer, including himself! Ingo was determined not to reveal it, but at the same time he wanted to speak about it so badly, he wanted to be understood by someone, to be advised. Surrounding people, however close they were, didn't use to identify his problems because he never shared them... and now he needed to do exactly that. His twin had broken his back to get some information before and failed dozens of times, and Elesa was there, asking him when he was on the edge of losing his head and his already perturbed mind. "My feelings for her." The man in black admitted for the first time, gazing at the other side of the lake. "My sick, awry feelings for her." He repeated, clearly disgusted.

Aside from the insane pleas that left Hilda's mouth and some wild pokémon, no other sound could be heard. The Gym Leader was bewildered, this man had just claimed to like Hilda in a non-friendly way. Although she normally accused him, it was surreal to hear him confessing after so many months of teasing. She moved closer to him, shoulder to shoulder. "Your feelings aren't awry." Elesa murmured, aiming to sooth him.

"Of course they are!" Ingo stubbornly hissed again, raising his hands in front of his chest as if he was ready to strangle someone, then clapping them on his thighs in one second. He locked eyes with the model. "Don't you understand? Our age difference not only makes this difficult, it also makes it illegal. I can't... It is wrong."

"I understand, believe me. If I were you, I would think and act the same way you do." Elesa paused to touch his arm blandly. "But don't think it's wrong, just happened despite your intentions. You haven't done anything."

"The mere feeling is wrong..." The Subway Boss trailed off and briefly watched his brother and Hilda trying to bite each other's shoulders, both still squirming, screaming and laughing while he was there, consumed by a raging inner jealously that only Elesa could sense. "It is true, I may be jealous, but it changes nothing. I must not be that affectionate towards her, my purpose would be uncongenial in comparison."

Not finding the appropriate words, she nodded her head and let go of him. How was she supposed to tell him otherwise? His reasons were irrefutable and though part of her wanted to knee this man in the stomach for being irritatingly righteous, he was right. "Still, you shouldn't put distance, it's useless." Elesa mumbled as she let her eyes drift to the ground vacantly, ending their conversation before it became even more private and topics like 'you are making my brother's love life a disaster' popped up.

Deranged cackles stopped ringing at the same time a drained, jubilant Hilda began to shuffle in their direction; blue eyes teary for so much laughter, her shiny chestnut hair was a tangled mess and most of her clothes were covered in small grass pieces. Following her steps was her personal mauler, looking energetic and all proud of his production. For sure, Ingo and Hilda were just a warm up and he was saving the best for last. They approached the other two friends without bothering to pick up their precious caps.

Hilda sat cross-legged in front of them. "I'm not standing again unless it's really necessary." She narrowed her eyes at the Subway Boss. "Okay?"

"Don't worry, I got bored of you." Emmet told her as he proceed to settle at the model's side. "I have a new victim in mind." He cooed near Elesa's ear, grabbing her arm temptingly through the fabric of his own coat.

She feigned curiosity and worry, widening her eyes. "What will you do to me?"

"Well..." Emmet started, catching her chin with his inactive hand and nuzzling her cheek. "Depends. If you don't care about necking, then it could turn into something more... captivating."

Lost in their little double-sense talk, those two forgot about the only witnesses around them. A certain trainer was faking the beginning of a self-induced vomit. Ingo preferred to let his eyes search on the landscape something more absorbing that wouldn't hurt his vision, even though he couldn't decide what was worst: watching or hearing them.

Double sense stirred up the Gym Leader's engrossment. She fully faced him, flashing a naughty smirk and tugging at his tie to the extent where their noses brushed. "Mmm, sounds good to me. It's been a while since–"

"Please, I'm underage, get a room."

The busy pair snorted. "Don't like, don't look." Emmet scoffed, then went for the blonde model's neck just to disgruntle Hilda.

A ticklish sensation ran down Elesa's neck, eliciting a low giggle from her lips. She chuckled and loose the grip on his tie, shoving him away softly. "Give it a rest."

"Thank you." The blue eyed girl sighed and pushed herself – or rather, her rear – with her hands to sit beside Ingo, intending to use him as a wall for to block future warm moments between her friends.

"Pleasure was all yours."

Now that he could watch anywhere, the older Subway Boss relaxed. "Do you want to do something else apart from your smutty fondling?"

"Not really." His twin answered, leaning backward and throwing an arm around Elesa's shoulders. "I'm fine here."

"Yeah, so am– ouch!" She smacked her lover on the chest and immediately after rubbed her left arm. "You damn cannibal! That hurt a lot!"

Mad laughter rang in her ears. "Sorry, I couldn't help, it was tempting me!"

She hissed and rubbed her arm up and down fiercely some more. "Who did you got this freaking habit from!?"

"From Hilda!" He pointed at the trainer, accusing her.

"Hey, what are you talking about? I learnt the art of biting from you!"

"There's no need to tell such– wow!" The man was interrupted by Elesa trying to clutch his arms.

The coat slide off her back in the quick process. He was able to deduce she attempted to get closer and physically abuse him, thus he tried to resist. When her wild stare and movements went out of control, her arms forced him back and a grunt came out, Emmet actually feared for all his beautiful insides and limbs, so the man did the same he did to Hilda. Risking his face for a moment, he gripped her waist and lifted her above his body only to toss the Gym Leader to the other side, initiating another rolling sequence. They didn't go so far, anyways. As Elesa was a bit heavier than Hilda, the Subway Boss surrendered on the way, laying on top of her and pinning her arms weakly. He giggled and gave her nose a swift kiss just to get under her skin, which worked perfectly, making her pout in rage and struggle to tear up some of his skin.

"Aren't they adorable?" Hilda commented, watching from distance how Emmet applied the same torture to Elesa and how she held back her laughter.

Ingo watched them. They did looked good together, they fit. If Emmet wished to stick to a woman, that had to be Elesa and _nobody_ else. "Yes, they are."

"Scary at the same time." The girl added as she lied down, resting one hand on her stomach and the back of the other on her forehead. She pressed her knees together and spread her lower legs. "He's very chirpy. Mission accomplished."

"I guess all these wrestling encounters were worth it." Said the elder Subway Boss with a tint of almost indiscernible anguish, placing his palms on the grass and extending one leg. He grimaced when a long, high-pitched cry of Elesa echoed in the sector, followed by his twin's and her own boisterous laughter. "I am glad things came out well, Elesa behaved seemly today."

"Speaking of which, what happened between them the other night? Just to gossip."

"I don't know and neither does Emmet. She was just mad, don't ask why."

"I'm sure they talked about it before coming here. Ask him, then tell me! I must know."

"As you order."

Hilda contemplated him out of the corner of her cerulean eyes, examining. _'Bitterness?'_ She considered, gazing at the obscure sky. "You sound somewhat downhearted. Is everything okay?"

Lost in thought, he barely nodded and Hilda dropped the subject. She was specialized on detecting times in which the Subway Boss would talk and this wasn't one of them, perhaps later she would be lucky. It took him a minute to finally get his eyes off the lake to focus on the trainer whose eyes were already closed.

Ingo couldn't help taking the opportunity to admire her delicate shape, basically inspecting all her body. He began at her face, admiring her peaceful expression, her eyelashes adorned by its own nature, the cute curve of her nose and the way those moist, inviting lips pursed together into a thin line. His eyes kept travelling down her alluring figure until both reached her enticing breast and its scanty raise and fall. A very familiar sensation was forming within the pit of his stomach, the one that signaled erroneous desires were befogging his brain with indecorous thoughts, betraying him once more and beating his morals...

But Ingo didn't care.

He carried on eying the rest of her body. From Hilda's smooth stomach, past her tiny waist and well-sized hips to those perfectly shaped legs. The girl's whole body was gorgeous for him. However, her legs in particular urged him to corrupt every inch of her without mercy. In spite of Hilda's lack of femininity and the tendency her legs had to be mildly scraped, they were just as perfect as her. The more he watched, the more he wanted to run his fingers all over them, massaging and stroking them until he lose control and his craving forced him to trail heated kisses all over the silky surface of her thighs and...

"What are you looking at?" The trainer asked, remaining calm yet delaying his fervid fantasies.

Ingo's body strained at her question. _'Damn it.'_ She wasn't supposed to be aware of his scanning and he wasn't supposed to stare for so long. "F-forgive me, I didn't realize. I-I..."

"Relax, I know you were thinking. I asked that to start a conversation again." Hilda pushed up her torso with quickness, her back and hair covered in more grass pieces than before. "It's a tough task when you are this hushed."

Thank god, not awkwardness at all in her words. "I consider myself rather talkative, but I will speak more if you want to." He reached out to comb her ponytail with his fingers and remove some grass in the process.

"Are you actually grooming me?"

"You look unkempt, which is not very _ladylike_." He bantered, acknowledging the abhorrence she felt for femininity.

Hilda swatted his hand away, turning a playful glare on him. "Yeah, like I care." She pointed one finger at Ingo's face. "Listen, that kind of jokes are going to lead you– Holy crap, those two can't never get enough!"

Ingo turned his neck to witness what had disturbed the girl. He didn't have to since the situation could be easily predicted, but he did it nonetheless, only to spot his twin and Elesa making out some feet away like a pair of teenagers who had skipped school in secret. Strange fact, Elesa was on top. How she managed to straddle Emmet is a mystery.

"Well, I was wondering about the silence." The trainer spoke in a whispering tone. She bit her inner cheek while both of them watched, somehow feeling as if they were hindering the couple's moment. To be honest, Ingo had been so engrossed in roaming his gaze over Hilda's petite frame that he didn't notice the silence or the hot smooching.

"Has their make out session answered you?"

"Heck, yes." She asserted while nodding. Her eyes widened just after the hands resting on the model's waist started to descend inch by inch to grope certain... body area. The blue eyed girl gave a quiescent yelp and covered her eyes discreetly, pretending to rub her forehead. It was easier for the man beside Hilda, who could avoid the whole scene with a mere roll of his eyes, setting them on the girl instead. "L-Let's leave them alone, please." She stammered shyly. "You don't need something else to worsen your insomnia and I don't want my sleeping to be ruined neither."

"I agree." He stood up, offering his hand to the trainer in order to help her. She took it without hesitation and stood up too. "Hope children don't play around in here." Ingo mumbled, already walking away.

Hilda shrugged her shoulders and trailed after him. "Ah, they must learn how reproductive system functions." The idea of picking up her cap crossed her mind, but in an instant she discarded it. Coming closer to those two would be like an act of voyeurism for her innocent character.

They walked deeper into the outskirts, leaving behind their libidinous friends and the few people around them. Hilda did what Elesa and asked for the needless coat just for the pleasure of wrapping it around her body. Of course, when Ingo bowed to place his long coat around her shoulders, the trainer seized the opportunity to get his glorious cap too. He questioned nothing and they carried on rambling.

She had never imagined herself with him in the woods. In her head, all moments they may undergo were located in the Subway, his apartment at most, never in a place like this. Not that she was complaining, but quite the contrary. Although it would be nicer if he wasn't so quiet.

The man ahead her leaned on one of the numerous trees, looking at the now nearly lake. "Here, we are staying here." And he stepped closer to the shore. Some seconds of eyes wandering around and he sat down, legs stretched forwards, palms on the grass at his sides. For a little while, he thought it would be an afflictive, non-verbal situation. He couldn't hear signs of approachment and his previous cold behavior towards Hilda complemented his fear. Ingo pondered about initiating a new conversation in such a serious way that it resembled the most important decision in his life, but he didn't even dare to look at her. Luckily, Hilda was persistent with everything, hence she took courage, walked over to him and kneel at his back, clutching the black coat so that it wouldn't fall. No matter what, she still looked shorter than him.

The sound of her movements unnerved him to no end.

Nevertheless, when her tiny hands found place on his shoulders, he forgot the importance of breathing. He couldn't resist anymore, temptation was going to win. If they went through one more intimate moment, Ingo would sink into his urges without any sort of opposition. He _knew_ it.

_'Please, no more proximity.'_

She placed her chin on the crook of his neck.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Tell me what's wrong."

Ingo gulped hard. Not only he had to stand her nose and cheek against his nape, but also her warm breath? It looked as if she were doing all these on purpose. Was she attempting to drive him insane? "Everything is fine, I am a bit stressed, that is all."

What answer did she expect?

An 'I believe I am in love with you and I can't fight it despite illegality?'

'I am about to ravish you, please, run?'

'Do not allow my brother to touch you because my blood boils at that sight?'

None of them were proper. He had to lie.

Which didn't mean she would buy it.

"That's common on you, definitely not the problem today." Hilda pulled her face away from him. "But we can't deny your tension. In fact, it's perceptible right HERE." She squeezed enough to apply a healthy amount of pressure with her thumbs.

So, a massage, perfect.

"You don't have to– Ah!" She MUST have been aware of her touch's effect. "Seriously, don't bother yourself with..."

"Shh, I don't mind giving massages."

He sighed and shut his eyes tight. Handling his reactions would require great mental effort, especially as her thumbs moved in circles along the nearby area of his shoulders, pressing down and awakening an arousal sensation in lieu of relaxing him. Her hand slid from there up to his neck, performing the same pressure treatment while the remaining one caressed his back every so often. Between the pleasant squeezing and the occasional strokes, the poor man couldn't help gripping his thighs and gasping faintly. He was melting at her touch.

To top it all, Hilda lowered her hands to his waist level and worked on that new area for minutes, intensifying the pressure with her palms and fingertips and kneading either side of his spine. Ingo didn't wish to moan at that, yet it felt so bloody good for his entire body. Every second felt better than the last. He bit his lip and uttered mental curses so as not to groan but in the end, after some smooth kneading, he let out a short needy moan, barely throwing his head back.

Hilda withdrew her hands in the bat of an eye. "I'm sorry! Have I hurt you?"

"N-No, no, you haven't. Although I think it is enough. Please, d-don't continue."

"Wow, that bad?"

"Not at all, the backrub was very indulgent indeed and I appreciate it, but you had better stop."

"Uh, yes... You are welcome." She stayed still while he shrugged a bit, trying to compose. Once his tense movements ceased, the trainer carefully took hold of his shoulders, feeling him tense up once more. "How about telling me what the real problem is then?"

"I did it, don't you remember?"

"You are an idiot." She muttered, moving closer to drap her arms around him, chin going for his shoulder again. "Look at me when I speak."

Pretty difficult, but the flushed Subway Boss did as he was told and tilted his head. "I-If visual contact is what you wanted, you shouldn't have sat behind me."

"Does it have to do with your father?"

"What? No..."

If possible, she brought her face just a bit closer. "So you don't care, right?"

Her proximity almost made him shiver. Ingo couldn't tell what would have been worse, shivering or sweating. Both options could have occurred. "I-It is not that, I feel a little sorrowful since I am not a monster and he was my father..." He lowered his gaze. Meeting eyes for so long without blushing or trembling was a challenge. "Do you want me to think up some trouble for you?"

"No, tell me what's the matter and I'll shut my mouth." Hilda forced his chin in order to relock eyes with him and then placed both hands across his chest. "It isn't about me drinking, is it?"

Ingo took a deep breath and exhaled softly to contain a dangerous reaction. It wasn't clear whether that had been triggered by her touch or her question. "That really bothers me, but we are not going to argue and it is not the problem... Look, when you stayed the night, you didn't tell me the real problem during breakfast, proving that certain issues can't be shared."

For a split second the trainer got visibly stunned, then she puffed and looked away. "Score for you. Now we are one to one, well played."

"Thank you."

_'Now move away, move away!'_

As though hearing his pleads, she let go. He sensed shifting and the noise of his coat being removed and landing on the grass. Only at the time the man managed to calm down, she slipped her arms under his and clasped his shoulders, pulling him to her. Hilda spread her tights a little to make room for Ingo and clinged onto him without leaving gaps, pretending to be an armchair. Each part of him suffered from severe sensitivity. Her face snuggling against his nape, moving forwards every second and her breast along with the rest of her front side playing the role of a backrest caused his heart to race. A voice in his mind not far from being inaudible told him to make something about this, but his own heart-beating and uneasiness didn't let him think straight.

Or in truth, he didn't want to reason. Not this time.

Ingo chose to ignore his conscience and submit himself because that's what he craved, a moment without restraint. No more excuses or plans of complete abstinence, just to give in a bit and relish it.

So he loosen up his body, threw his head back and closed his eyes while she lightly nuzzled his neck. An adorable giggle escaped from her mouth and her hands slid down. One found place across his chest, the other continued its way further down until it reached his abdomen. The Subway Boss took the hand on his stomach and interlaced his gloved fingers with hers from above as if to secure the small hand. Not thinking and already making himself more comfortable, he tried to lean impossibly closer and squeezed her hand as his free one shot up directly to hold her cheek. The girl didn't ignore a thing. Her instinct quickly perceived his intention of being touched. The light squirm and firm grip were clear, unmistakable hints. Hilda couldn't help caressing his chest and abdomen slowly or burrowing her face in the crook of Ingo's neck to the full extent. It seemed she also wasn't interested on reasoning at that point. The two were just acting out of mind. Hilda showed affection and he welcomed everything she offered.

No bothering thoughts or worries. All remained peaceful for maybe hours.

Until the Subway Boss' mind reactivated and screwed everything for who knows what time, recalling those indecent illusions he had been dreaming night after night since Hilda slept in his apartment. Each one being worse than the first. Night after night, those dreams turned into shameless and graphically explicit fantasies that begged to be fulfilled and were plaguing his head to remind him that this _wasn't_ enough to satisfy his hunger, that he wanted so much more... and suddenly the body sensations he managed to calm down with big effort awoke, ready to mess up this relaxing moment.

How unfair. Tenderness shouldn't be crushed by something as impure as lust. He still had to battle and keep his yearning under control! But it didn't matter if he resisted, if he pretended to be cold or if he gave in only a little to quieten his desires, in the end nothing worked. It was a monotonous game which always led to the same result.

In the middle of his mental rambling, his hand unwittingly began to stroke her face in a pretty harsh manner. Gloved fingertips dug on her right cheekbone and temple, mussing the lock of curly chocolate hair at the side, somehow instigating Hilda to turn her face towards him and lean forward to be even closer. He also turned his face desperately, keeping his hand upon the trainer's cheek and still trying to reason... Only to fail when those bright blue eyes and unique smile appeared on his sight.

Ingo finished accepting that another round had just been lost and there wasn't a thing to do about it. Because in a single second, his lips pressed strongly onto her cheek and Hilda had to clench his chest and stomach so as not to gasp at the urgent toughness. She didn't feel awkward, yet she did felt like something in her belly had tightened up. Ingo suffered from the same sensation, but his cooled down once he stayed still, nose and forehead resting there. Not too much happened before he did it again and again, pressing softer and longer while his fingertips trailed down to touch her neck delicately. His lips moved away the slightest bit, always brushing her skin when they searched for a new place near the first kissed spot. His eyes had been closed during and after the kisses, the Subway Boss realized, but who needs to see, anyways? Her hand roaming involuntarily over his chest and the shaky breathing were more than enough to keep going.

As for Hilda... Well, let's say she didn't have the chance to count the kisses. Lost in the sudden actions and feelings, she eventually let out a noise between a gasp and a moan, earning a few idle but stirring caresses to her forearm and neck. She squeezed her eyes shut so as not to give out more sounds of pleasure, however – and thank goodness – the man stopped and rested his nose and forehead against her face for a second time, much to her relief... and disappointment. Hilda noticed that not only the rhythm of her breathing mildly changed during the unusual moment, but also did his. The girl didn't move an inch, her aim was to simply steady her breathing.

In contrast, the poor Subway Boss' less threatening factor was his insignificant breathing. Ingo couldn't focus on that, not when he was bound to bite his lower lip just not to bite _hers_.

And to think, Elesa advised him on being closer to Hilda. What a piece of foolish advice, no offence. He wasn't even capable of hugging her without turning into a psycho and Elesa wanted him to lick her face like Emmet did? What came next? A suggestion about dedicating to terrorism? Not that the Gym Leader wasn't good at advising, but he found the last piece in question rather lame for the current circumstances.

And what was he supposed to do now? Hilda's lips were awfully near. He could have kissed her. _'Goddammit, I could kiss her RIGHT NOW.'_ Ingo pondered as he shifted nervously within the tight embrace, inhaling her intoxicating scent in a despairing attempt of touching off whatever little abnegation he may–

"I'm scared."

The taller man's grey eyes flew open in time with her blue ones. "Pardon me?" That tone reached his ears to perfection. She was very happy at the moment... and slightly scared as she stated too.

"I feel so spirited when I'm with you like this..." She trailed off and Ingo withdrew his face a little bit to get a better view. "But it's pretty hard to forget about my fears."

"W-what fears? What happened?"

"It's too much to carry around, too much for my shoulders. An entire region depends on me, a whole word. I'm just fifteen, I'm not that skilled! What if I fail? What if lose?" She jabbered in an abruptly low, troubled aura, freeing all the accumulated fear and hiding in the crook of his neck.

_'Ah, so that was the issue. Them.'_ Why didn't he consider them before? _'I am such a self-centered jerk.'_ Ingo scolded himself in silence as he bit his lip for different reasons. Regardless of how much he claimed to care about Hilda, who was indeed in all her right to be worried and terrified, he almost ignored this crucial matter. It was the cause of her 'break' from Unova, the cause of her hard training and Ingo totally forgot. Even passengers and challengers messed around the Subway chatting about whatever data they had heard while he, to whom the adorable trainer proclaimed a friend, showed so shamefully indifferent.

Furthermore, she had been trying to speak about HIS problems though he never asked about her own. What is worse, the Subway Boss took the chance that previously appeared to talk about the subject only to use it as an example, an excuse, and that's why she seemed stunned when he brought up the topic. She remembered and thus, she realized Ingo hadn't bought that blatant lie of hers at his apartment.

"Hilda..." His hand crept up from her neck to her cheek soothingly. "I am sorry you are under so much pressure, but if you prepare well enough–"

"Yes, I know, all will be smiles and sunshine." Hilda muttered, swallowing the bothering knot in her throat. She hadn't talked about this with anybody. Bianca, Cheren, Hilbert and her trained together regularly and sometimes the subject would be brought up. They were confident, they believed she was very capable of defeating any threat if she practiced more alongside her invaluable team and she simply couldn't kill their hopes. Her friends were being supportive. Perhaps a little too much and she needed someone not pessimistic yet realistic, someone who admitted the possibility of either a happy ending or a sad one. There's always room for failure, no matter how painful. "I've heard that."

He stroked her face and gave a squeeze of reassurance to the tiny hand on his abdomen. "I don't know what is going to happen. What I can tell you is that as long as you do your best, everybody should be grateful, whether you win or lose."

Blue eyes sparkled with rising dampness that almost killed Ingo's insides. "And aren't you worried?" Her arms tightened all contact with the taller man in search of solace and he allowed himself to be clutched to death just to calm her down. "Who knows what will happen if I lose."

"I can imagine and honestly it scares me too." Ingo paused to carefully pull the girl's face forward by her chin. "If you lose, I wouldn't blame you..." He leaned on her cheek like before as his eyes fluttered closed. Those beautiful blue orbs shouldn't be full of tears, he didn't want to see them like that. If one simple tear managed to roll down her face, his heart would shatter. "I accept both chances of success and defeat, but my hope is still higher on you and your team."

She blinked hard to hold back the salty water. "Really?"

"Yes. Don't do this in the name of anyone. Just do your best and the rest doesn't matter."

Tears were suddenly easier to force back and she flashed a genuine smile. "That's the best you could have told me, is like you read my mind." She mumbled as the hand on his chest traced a path along his ribcage. "Thank you. For your sincerity and support."

"My pleasure. Whenever you need to talk, I will listen to you." One more kiss to her cheek. "Please, don't cry." He soothed, cupping her cheek.

Hilda swallowed the embarrassment and breathed deeply. "No, no, I won't cry. Don't pay attention to my teary eyes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I understand. It is a way too weighty responsibility." He almost whispered, placing two chaste kisses on her temple.

The now smily-looking trainer hummed in relief and made sure her hands rubbed all over his upper body. "And what about you and your messed up mind? An exchange would be pretty fair."

Alright, she carried on insisting. The Subway Boss definitely couldn't share his main issue. Oh, such a mistake it would be to reveal his scary feelings, he wasn't going to consider the option. On the other hand, a less scandalous matter didn't sound bad. He could go for the secondary but quiet grave issue of the day, the one that didn't involve her, his atrocious dreams or all that M-rated crap. It would help to let out some tension and to prove his trust. "Fourteen years ago this was a tragic day. It makes me think and question a few things. Probably that is why I am not so talkative today, nothing to worry about." He opened his eyes and let one hand fall onto Hilda's thigh, near his own.

"You denied it though." Was the trainer's answer, wondering if they actually were hugging and having a conversation at the same time. Her mind ran pretty slow when he was around and the fabric of his glove brushing her leg had made the girl snap.

_This_ was happening.

"It is not a big deal. When my father died, the first thought that came to me was about freedom. My brother would be able to leave our bedroom without being slapped or kicked or punched." He explained while touching the fingers beneath his hand like the keys of a piano, a tint of disgust and rage escaping by the end of the sentence. "Every year, precisely today, I can't help but wonder why did he use to despise us, how different things would have developed if it had not been by that miserable man, and the most important, what can I do to stop Emmet's suffering. The deep emotional wounds he left on my brother will not heal and Emmet still feels... bad about his death."

"Maybe it's something to do with his personality." She started, angling her face so they could observe the lake in front of them without breaking the thin contact between their foreheads. "You know, he's too kind and soft. In which parallel universe would Emmet hate somebody? I'm sure he wonders the same things you do and that's the reason for his wounds reopening constantly."

"Exactly. I don't care about our father that much, whereas he does and he shouldn't. Half of my brother's life has been ruined by him. I'm not saying he must feel overjoyed, but I wish he wouldn't be distressful."

"To sum up, Emmet's pain affects you. Is that... an identical twins' thing?"

Her naive question elicited a snort from Ingo, which Hilda found strange. She couldn't recall an occasion when the Subway Boss had made such an 'out of character' sound and she had to admit it sounded nice. Not to mention the feeling of glee and powerfulness that his unusual reactions and behavior brought.

"It is a situation of siblings in general, I guess." The vague trace of his smile died out. "I have seen my younger brother in physical and emotional pain since I can remember. It was a matter of time before his affliction became my own problem too, but at least he seems happy today. This wasn't a bad idea."

As much as Hilda wanted to help, there wasn't a lot to do. Listening and telling words of understanding and support were the options within her reach, precisely what he had done. "You are a good older brother. With you by his side, he'll find a way to smile again every day." She cheered in a low, warming voice. "We both know the difficulties that will come after this and you did it nonetheless. Besides, he obviously feels better now, didn't you feel it during your little street fight?"

The recent memory made a wide, dreamy smile curve his lips. It had been a while since Emmet and himself felt that hyperactively mirthful together. "Yes, I did."

"And he spent the end of an afternoon with Elesa thanks to you."

"They must be talking about this right now." The man assumed, staring at the lake apathetically with a decentralized expression, a faint smile still tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You think? Their mouths were veeery busy."

"Making out is not their only activity, they talk a whole lot as well. I start to believe that those conversations are the mysterious reason for two long years of their... open relationship."

"I wish Elesa realized the big mistakes she daily makes with Emmet. They would be so happy if they were a formal couple." Hilda commented, looking absently towards the lake, presumptively at the same spot the man next to her had been staring for the last minutes.

"It would be one less obstacle." Mumbled the Subway Boss, his voice on the verge of fading away much like Hilda's, who let out a hum of agreement in response.

Issues had already been discussed and some tension had been released, so they kept hugging in silence, watching the scene absentmindedly. Sometimes they would shift a little to feel more of each other's body, brush a nearby area on purpose, deepen the embrace or just in Hilda's case, nuzzle the other's face. Always in complete silence, listening to the fitful cries of hidden pokémon and savoring the pleasant feeling of alleviation.

"Can I kiss your cheek like you did?" Hilda asked shyly after an eternity of prolonged nuzzling, already brushing her lips on a chosen spot.

"Of course you can." He breathed out and rise the hand on her thigh to stroke her face, an unmistakable signal for the trainer to go ahead.

His eyes fell shut at the stirring pressure of those moist lips that in seconds were trailing kisses down his jawline, stopping at the area below his ear. The Subway Boss tried to make an objection whimper when her lower lip teased the spot but it came out as a weak gasp of content. Hilda giggled at his reaction, her breath tickling and torturing his sensitive skin just before planting some kisses on it. Unluckily, those small pecks weren't enough for Ingo. He grew impatient and moved his hand to the back of her head involuntarily, messing with her ponytail and his black cap in order to force her down. She caught on the meaning of the actions and complied with his desires, sliding her mouth to his neck and planting rougher kisses whilst her restless hands started to run all over his upper body, one of them being caressed or even guided by the man's languid own hand.

Each single detail seemed important. The touch between his back and her front side, the knees and thighs in charge of trapping him and the sound performed by her lips sucking every now and then triggered a wave of excitement to wash over his body and his blood to rush southwards–

_'No.'_

A switch flipped inside him.

_'Oh no, no, NO!'_

Ingo straightened and stood up outrageously fast, disturbing their embrace in the process and leaving a shocked blue eyed girl behind him. Once standing, he noticed that his _problem_ wasn't grave enough to reach a visibly threatening level, so he turned around and faced Hilda. Some blood had the decency to rush to his cheeks at the sight of the trainer resting hands between her thighs and her confused yet innocent aspect. Was he a hormonal teenager? Twenty nine years old! How could someone this pure cause... _that_ to his body in less than forty seconds? Geez, his mind was so ready to betray and send him to prison! He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if he had stayed next to her for a whole minute!

After running a hand over his face in a stressful fashion, Ingo cleared his throat awkwardly. "I-I think we had better go. It must be pretty late and you should be heading home by now."

Hilda furrowed her eyebrows and checked her Xtransceiver. "But it is only half past nine." She whined, pouting and staring into his soul with pleading eyes.

Sure thing Hilda had been spending too much time with Emmet, Ingo concluded, immediately waving off the puppy-eyes and the bizarre mental picture of his giant-baby-twin fused with the object of all his fantasies. "Half past nine? We have been here for almost four hours, you really have to come back home." He offered his hand to help and she accepted. "Let's go with the two lovebirds first."

The Subway Boss walked past her and grabbed his coat to shake the grass off. He glanced at the trainer and both smiled at each other and then in some sort of 'thank you' for the tender moments and cozy conversations, he fondly placed the coat around her shoulders to complement his black cap. Their gazes broke apart and both walked away.

Something in the air told Hilda that it wouldn't be a bad idea to slip her hand into his now.

So she tried again.

And he didn't reject it.


	5. New Group of Friends

**A/N: **I edited the first three chapters; in case you wish to re-read them, the plot is the same, I just corrected several spelling and grammatical mistakes. I am terribly sorry, readers, because I do not really know what was going on inside my head so as not to notice those fatal mistakes before. Native speaker or not, there is no excuse. Luckily, some people pointed them out via private message a long, long time ago. Some were gentle, some were harsh; either way, thanks a lot. There is nothing I love more than harshness well-justified, with the mere intention of helping rather than hurting.

Also, a few days after my last update, I learned how to answer reviews properly. Instead of posting an answer here, I should have replied by a message. Might sound pretty stupid, but well, some things go unnoticed when you are mostly connected to this site by your cellphone. Anyway, to sum up, no more long author's note.

I have never written about a Pokémon battle in the past. Since it is my first battle, I hope it is bearable to read.

Enjoy chapter five!

* * *

An hour and a half to finish the day and Hilda hadn't dropped by the Subway.

According to Emmet, it was in her plans to come around. They always would video-call each other several times if they didn't meet, apparently. At the beginning of the day, during the afternoon, and occasionally at two in the morning. Emmet explained to Ingo that it was a habit which had started two months ago or so, when Hilda accidentally called him right after he woke up. The Subway Boss had returned the accidental call in the afternoon, because he was alone and bored to death, and the vicious circle initiated since that day.

If Hilda didn't stop by the Subway, they would call each other at any time of the day, mostly after they woke up or during the afternoon. Messages were only for the early morning. He also told his older twin, who had sent him a cold murderous glare after he found out about the calls, that they talked just about random and foolish subjects, nothing serious. It wasn't like Emmet didn't want his brother to know, but since Ingo had firmly stated that he didn't have feelings for the younger trainer, and both _knew_ that it wasn't true, he supposed their callings might bother him, so he preferred not to reveal it.

Unfortunately, secrets would stop being secrets at some point. They lived, worked, and frequently sleep together, after all. It took Ingo a quick glance to notice Hilda's name on the screen of his twin's Xtransceiver, and he immediately submit the latter to interrogation. Yep, Ingo was jealous as hell. Simply as that. He had to wait for Hilda while his younger brother could talk to her whenever he pleased? Emmet had just talked to her a few minutes ago and he hadn't seen her for two days!

Darn it, two days ago was perfect. He really wanted to gut his twin and make a barbecue with his insides, but the memories distracted him from his anger. Ingo wondered what could be Hilda thinking. The moment they experimented had been very unusual for two friends, he concluded, and that's not to mention his _little incidence_. Friends weren't supposed to kiss your neck and cheek at various times or stroke your chest and stomach. Maybe his feelings weren't one-sided, maybe the minimal chance of mutuality existed.

Ingo mentally shook his head. That couldn't be possible. Hilda met plenty of boys all over Unova, she wouldn't take interest in a man twice her age. But then, why had she acted so... romantically?

_'Perhaps that behaviour is normal for her,'_ he reasoned, based on the fact that one of her peculiar ways to show affection was licking and biting. It wouldn't be strange if she found all previous actions to be natural, it's part of being a teenager, they are just weird when it comes to, well, everything.

"Brotheeeeeer."

Ingo twitched a little and looked at his pouting twin whose head happened to be heavily resting on his shoulder. "What?"

"I've been talking to you. Are you ignoring me because you are still mad at me? Or were you daydreaming about Hilda again?"

Ah, so those were the distorted background sounds he believed to hear while thinking. Even the weight on his shoulder went unnoticed. How could that be? Emmet's head felt like a twenty-two-pounds burden for his shoulder. "Don't be stupid, I am not mad and certainly not daydreaming about... Hilda. Shut up."

"Okay~" Emmet lowered his gaze and pointed at the forgotten book his brother was holding. "But close that thing, you haven't paid attention to the novel for more than five minutes."

The man in black glanced at the book. He didn't have an answer to where had his eyes been fixed on, though he could tell the answer wasn't the book, and hence complied. "I closed it..." He shook his shoulder. "Now get your head off. It is heavy, we have already discussed that."

His twin obeyed, then snorted. "And I've already told you: it isn't heavy, I just try to put all my weight there on purpose."

"We're here!"

Both men followed the voice with his eyes. Elesa entered the car and took a few steps towards them, with Hilda trailing after. The older Subway Boss felt the sudden urge to smack his chest. Elesa who? His heart only skipped a bit for Hilda and his gaze spotted her and just her.

Emmet stood up to greet his friends. "Finally! I waited for a whole hour!"

"Well, it took us twenty minutes to swept all the train with the other challengers, but we're here," the model bragged, smirking confidently as she pulled a out a Poké Ball. "And we're ready to do the same with you two. Right, Hilda?"

Said trainer also pulled out a Poké Ball, the same smirk on her face. "Right. The question is, are they ready?"

The Subway Boss in white made a sound between a 'pfff' and a snort, flicking his wrist in an arrogant fashion. "Of course we are." He flashed a grin and looked at his twin over his shoulder, who seemed rather disconnected. Dumbfounded, even, like he had missed something very important. "Come on! Brother, get your ass over here!"

Those two women in a double battle at 8:30 p.m? How had that happened? It looked like the three had planned all of this. Well, in fact, Emmet did complained about waiting an hour. Something was missing, absolutely, but he would never reject a battle, much less if such exceptional adversaries were the challengers. Ingo left the novel on the seat and joined his brother. Both pulled out their own Poké Balls. "Okay, let's start."

Four Pokémon were released: Mienshao and Zebstrika on the girls' side, Galvantula and Haxorus on the other. Immediately, all the creatures took a defensive pose, waiting for orders and the initial movement.

"Ladies first," Emmet said and bowed like a gentleman, stretching out an arm and folding the other across his waist. He earned himself a cute giggle from Hilda.

Elesa quirked an eyebrow to deny him the simple pleasure of making her smile. "Alright, the gentleman has spoken," she teased, clutching a nearby handrail determinately and changing to her most rigid expression next, the same she wore as a repellent for unwanted wooers. "Zebstrika, use Flame Charge on Galvantula!"

"Brick Break on Haxorus!" Hilda commanded after the model, spreading her legs a bit to gain balance and not fall. That happened the first time she boarded the train... lesson learned.

A flame cloak surrounded Zebstrika and the Pokémon roared in what could only be labelled as satisfaction and powerfulness. He ran off towards the target at full speed, leaving a path of blazes in the air that extinguished quickly as he got closer. Mienshao proceed to jump forward, his threatening whip-like arms ready to strike down Haxorus.

"Dragon Pulse, now!"

"Galvantula, show your matchless speed!"

A turquoise energy ball appeared in front of Haxorus' mouth and he roughly fired at his aggressor. Mienshao used one arm to whip the attack with all his strength, successfully vanishing it, and at the same time, getting close enough to smack the dragon type Pokémon from above with his other arm. The latter, much like his owner, didn't see the blow coming and couldn't elude it. His chin collided with the metal floor hard and he groaned in pain. The fighter rival jump back triumphantly near Hilda's feet, both of them flashing a mocking smile.

Not such luck for Mienshao's partner, though. Galvantula easily dodged the burning assault. His foe turned around in the bat of an eye and redirected the flames once more, only for the arachnid to dodge it again and the flames to disappear when the zebra-like creature stopped racing due to the startlement.

"His back is towards you, use Poison Jab!

One of Galvantula's pedipalps glowed purple and it swiftly slammed the target from behind, who tumbled to the floor by his partner side as a result. Zebstrika rose to his feet, shaking his head a bit in an attempt to recover from the rough impact. Haxorus did the same, grunting menacingly at his attacker. No serious injuries by the time being, just some movements to create a hostile climate and allow the females and Subways Bosses to draw some conclusions.

For example, Elesa came to face the fact that her Zebstrika's impressive fastness wasn't enough to reach Galvantula's. Her plan consisted on raising her Pokémon's speed and causing a good amount of damage to the disadvantaged bug-creature, but it was practically impossible to touch her. A new strategy should be implemented if the Gym Leader wanted to win. As for Ingo, well, he concluded that Hilda's Mienshao was perfectly trained since he managed to evaporate such strong attack with no more than one arm. Luckily, Haxorus also possessed a few surprises of his own to show off. The trainers exchanged a defiant, friendly glance before the orders started echoing once again.

Hilda reached out for a handrail, wondering why the twins never needed to use them and hadn't fell by accident yet. Focusing, she pointed at Haxorus. "This is just the beginning. Mienshao, Aerial Ace!"

The Pokémon complied and charged forward, becoming an unavoidable shiny blur, his arm-furs somehow resembling of a pair of huge wings.

"Intercept him with Shadow Claw!" The twin in black commanded, aware of the impossibility to elude the attack that his very eyes barely could see.

Like he was expecting, the obscure energy didn't have the time to materialize in Haxorus' claws and Mienshao tackled him savagely. Owning a skin utterly resistant, the dragon-type Pokémon could handle resisting the hit quite fine, squeezing his eyes shut and unwittingly stumbling back. Mienshao repositioned to duplicate the tackle, much to the twins' dismay.

"No way. Galvantula, help him! Electro Ball, now!"

An sphere of yellow and orange electricity appeared in front of Galvantula's pedipalps.

Elesa seized the so awaited opportunity of an accurate blow. "Flame Charge!"

Uh-uh.

The Subway Bosses couldn't let that happen. Haxorus was capable to stand that blow. Galvantula, on the other hand... heck, the damage would be severe, not to mention that the two men had identified Elesa's tactics since the very beginning. Galvantula's speed played an important role in this battle. "Haxorus, use Dragon Pulse on Zebstrika!"

The electricity orb was hurled at the fighter that was just inches away from Haxorus and hit him square in the chest, leaving behind yellow sparks and the slightest amount of smoke. Meanwhile, Zebstrika sped up in order to slam his target and elude the turquoise sphere. Hilda gasped when Mienshao was dragged backwards by the impact and his side collided harshly with the –thank god– dense door, whimpering and shaking off the dizziness once he recomposed. Elesa could do nothing but watch with wide eyes how her Pokémon, still cloaked in fire, got hit and rolled back violently until he almost reached her feet. Just then, the flames extinguished and Zebstrika slowly stood up, groaning in frustration.

"I'm sure you can do better than this! Come on, beauties!" chanted Emmet's hearty voice.

Unlike his way too outgoing brother, Ingo solely cast a brief glance of Hilda's worried face, and he felt his stomach churn out of guilt.

The model did her best to put her own worry aside and grinned at the men. "You bet on it!" she cheered back and subsequently turned towards her partner, releasing the handrail. "Look, attacking on our own isn't working," she murmured, a serious-sounding volume. "Let's go back to behave like a real team, the same way we did with those challengers."

The blue eyed girl waited for her Pokémon to jump back and nodded at her partner's suggestion. "Okay. Let's better stick together."

"Alright," Emmet said, cracking his fingers rather manly. "Time to make things more interesting." He smirked and took a purposeful posture, pointing in the girl's direction, his long white coat flailing slightly. "Poison Jab!"

"Haxorus, be alert!"

Just before the train entered a sharp turn, the electric creature charged forwards, swinging from side to side at her characteristic fastness in order to confuse the females and their team. Both Hilda and Elesa took a firm grip of the handrails, tensing up their backs in an uncomfortable way so as not to fall whilst the twins merely spread their legs to keep their feet in place.

Whether it was because of the sudden turn or Galvantula's unbelievable speed, Hilda couldn't tell, but watching such an enormous arachnid-like Pokémon getting closer and closer sort of scared her; though the feeling became unimportant once Galvantula feigned to attack Mienshao and unexpectedly changed her target.

"Stomp!" Elesa yelled out of desperation.

One of Galvantula's pedipals started glowing purple as Zebstrika reared up on his back legs, ready to strike down with his front hooves. It seemed a safe blow, until the dragon Pokémon appeared right above the arachnid with a pair of dark claws to ruin the chance and both quickly slashed him together.

Confused, mostly covered in bruises, Zebstrika stumbled back on his hind legs, firmly digging the front ones on the metallic floor and, thereby, not crashing into the females.

The gym leader let out a curt grunt.

"Again!" the Subways Bosses called out in unison.

Hilda raised a tight fist next to her face. "Hell, no! Mienshao, Protect!"

Zebstrika watched his foes charging at him, the same glowing dark energy and poison in their claws and pedipalps. He instinctively braced himself for the impact as Mieansho jumped in front of his tired partner, creating a light-blue force field. Both assaults collided with it and the Pokémon jumped back, making a sound that in their own monotonous language must have meant to be a whine.

"Use Brick Break!"

The field dematerialized with a simple shake of Mieansho's arms and he ran towards Haxorus, striking him full force.

"High Jump Kick!"

Mienshao struck Haxorus one last time and raised his knee to finish the sequence of blows.

"Haxorus, move! Come back here!"

The dragon-like creature snapped and moved backwards just before the hit had opportunity to make contact. It was just a matter of seconds for Mienshao to fall to his knees, the grievous tingling that racked over his leg causing him to grit his teeth. Such movements were pretty hard to maneuver, especially if missing the blow equalled to self-harm.

"It is your chance. X-Scissor!"

"No! No, no, no, no, no. Please, Mienshao, protect yourself!" Hilda shouted at the top of her lungs, her features twisting into the most distressful expression ever seen on her.

However, the long bodied Pokémon couldn't even rise to his feet. A moan escaped from his mouth when he tried, and Haxorus was ready to lunge at his vulnerable rival, claws already glowing grey in an X fashion.

Not wanting to witness what would come next, Hilda turned her head in such an aggressive manner that, at plain sight, one could have assumed her cervical vertebrae had hurt. In contrast, her closed eyes and teeth digging on her lower lip ever so smoothly resembled of a sad expression. Ingo almost told Haxorus to abort the attack. But in the end, Hilda wouldn't be very glad about it, hence he refrained from interrupting. If there was something the young trainer particularly hated, it had to be looking weak.

As a last resort to defend her partner, Elesa went for ranged movements. "Hurry! Use Thunderbolt!"

The worn-out Zebstrika cried out and an electric blast loosened from his body.

"Take it, Galvantula!"

Like a shield, Galvantula positioned in front of Haxorus, and the fierce electricity crashed down on her instead, the effect theoretically resulting in a gentle caress for the arachnid. Haxorus jumped over his partner and the grey X landed right on Mieanshao's downcast figure, sending him back to crash onto Zebstrika. Both fell to the floor, interrupting the electric movement of no avail.

Hilda clutched her chest with guilt as the Gym Leader's face got darker due to the horror. They didn't know how much their Pokémon might stand, and watching them getting hurt was becoming overly painful to their eyes.

From the other side of the battlefield, Emmet's lips curved into a happier than normal grin, and Elesa had to fight back the urge of rushing across the car to wipe it off with her own mouth. Ingo fixed all his attention on Hilda's concerned and sad features.

In the meantime, Mienshao and Zebstrika exhaustively stood up, supporting a little on each other, and behind them, the trainers seriously pondered about throwing in the towel.

Emmet clasped his hands and looked at his battle partner. "Well, brother, shall we finish this?"

Ingo cast a quick glance in Hilda's direction one last time and turned to his younger twin, giving a mirthless nod.

The Subway Boss in white would normally notice his twin's lack of enthusiasm, since Ingo was easier to read than a book for children to him. Nevertheless, Emmet was too engrossed in the battle to get it. "Fine, let's continue," he said, taking a step forward. "Galvantula, use Electroweb!"

The Pokémon literally spat a stream of electricity into the air, and as it flew, the tip opened up and expanded, shaping a spider web that covered both opponents, electrifying them. Mienshao cried out as though he was being murdered, whereas Zebstrika seemed to be –if not absorbing– getting just the slightest bit of relief that definitely had a lot to do with his special ability, Motor Drive... which certain smiling Subway Boss wouldn't allow to be of use.

He hadn't been generous to let Elesa improve her Pokémon's stats or shown mercy during the whole battle, and for sure, he wouldn't do it at this point. "Bug Buzz!"

Galvantula called out hellishly loud, releasing red sound waves that reached her trapped opponents and made them flinch and moan, almost shaking with pain. In a matter of seconds, the two Pokémon grew so visibly weak under the effect of Bug Buzz and Electroweb altogether that the women behind them actually screamed their names out of desperation. Even themselves felt a light headache coming thanks to the powerful buzz.

The twin in black also felt it.

Wincing a little and covering one ear in order to hear his own voice, he called out for Haxorus. "Finish them with Shadow Claw!"

The dragon-like Pokémon's claws darkened. Both Hilda and Elesa gasped in horror and their eyes widened to their limit. Watching Haxorus charging through the sound waves aroused a sensation of anxiety nausea within the younger girl, who rushed to the vulnerable Pokémon's front and extended her arms protectively without a second thought.

"Guys, it's enough! You win!" she shouted loud enough to scrape her vocal chords.

The men loosened up their bodies, Haxorus stopped dead in his tracks and the buzz died down, all in a flash. Ingo and Emmet shared a stare of guilty.

Hilda spun around and kneel in front of them, not really sure about what to do with the web. Their Pokémon were supposed to tear it up, but they were lacking of energy to do so. The model rushed to her partner's side and kneel too, her palms going for the web.

"Wait, wait, wait! Elesa, don't touch that!"

She looked at Emmet over her shoulder. "It won't come off alone."

"Still, you shouldn't touch it," he suggested. "It might not send discharges to your Pokémon, but electricity is there."

Ingo cleared his throat. "Please, Haxorus, help them."

Red sharp claws tore up the web and the electricity vanished right after brushing the floor.

Hilda took Mienshao's face between her hands and both smiled feebly at each other. She supported her forehead on his and the fighter softly rested his whip-like arms on the trainer's shoulders. "Relax. You did excellent," Hilda mumbled soothingly.

Elesa got her face closer to Zebstrika and he nuzzled the model in spite of injuries. "Thank you, sweetie," she said, patting his head.

The Subway Bosses and Galvantula approached Haxorus. "That was fun. A hearty battle, girls," the younger commented with honest enthusiasm.

Hilda helped Mienshao to his feet and supported him, wrapping her arm around his back and allowing him to throw his own around her neck.

Elesa returned Zebtrika to the Poké Ball and turned around, hand on her hips. "Are you going to recite your speeches for us to hear?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emmet waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Of course not, that's a mere formality. I'm only going to say it was enjoyable to beat both of you." He abruptly crouched next to Galvantula and took her face between his hands. "And I wouldn't have done it without you!" the man exclaimed, shaking the arachnid affectionately and thanking in his peculiar way: rubbing foreheads and... praising, kinda. "Who is a good girl? You are! Yes you are, yes you are!" Galvantula let out a happy squeak and hugged her trainer with her front legs and pedipalps.

The audience found the scene both adorably kind and greatly odd.

"Well, our Pokémon did fine," Hilda started, looking at Elesa with joyless eyes. "We are the ones that could have done better."

The model nodded and welcomed the criticism. "Sad but true."

"Even so, you two are a compatible team. It was your first time in a double battle together... Emmet and I have been battle partners for years."

The man in question stood up next to Ingo, now half carrying, half hugging a giant yellow spider. "He's right. Honestly, I thought you wouldn't stand more than four minutes."

The discreet, yet strong punch to his side hinted Emmet that his comment wasn't very friendly, and the wince he made told the females that they should change the topic before it was too late.

Hilda decided Mienshao would be better inside a Poké Ball than in a shifting train, thus returned him immediately. After exchanging a brief smile with Haxorus, Ingo also returned him.

There was some anguish in the air, Elesa noticed, and her partner, who didn't intend on taking her eyes off the Poké Ball in hand, was the source. A quick look in Ingo's direction and the model concluded he could feel the aura too.

She fumbled for something to say. "Mmm, so... when will this train arrive to Nimbasa?"

"Only two more stops. Less than ten minutes," came Emmet's muffled response – his mouth was fondling Galvantula's head. The words evidently had a delayed effect on him, because he gasped, left the Pokémon on the floor and proceed to point a gloved finger at Hilda. "Did you bring more of my precious addiction?"

The trainer offered a smile, which wasn't the best she had, but was the most sincere for the moment, and then patted the bag hanging on her shoulder.

"All of them, Hilda?"

"All of them."

So excited with her answer, Emmet didn't catch the questioning glance his twin shot at him. "Glad you didn't break your promise."

"Hey, what should we buy for 'dinner'?" the Gym Leader suddenly asked, mimicking quotation marks.

"Whatever you want. Unless Hilda has something in mind."

The girl shrugged. "Is the same for me. The important thing here are the drinks." She ended the sentence with a playful wink.

A carefree expression crossed the Subway Boss' face. "Obviously. Who needs real food when alcohol is involved? Snacks and all that crap will do."

The conversation didn't make any sense to Ingo, but that _did_ caught his attention. Perhaps he had missed something quite important after all. Grabbing his twin's shoulder, he dragged him closer. "Emmet, is there a plan you would like to share with me, your only brother and only _roommate_?"

For a split second, the car fell silent.

And it broke as quickly when Hilda took a step forward. "Emmet, you big fat idiot!" she snapped, her voice nearly-demoniac. "You didn't tell him?!"

"W-wha...?" the confused man faltered, turning his head frantically to look at Hilda and then at his brother at least two times in a row. He eventually fixed his startled gaze on Ingo. "Of course I told him!"

"No, you didn't! How could you forget telling me the events that would take place in _my_ apartment?"

"Hey, look, Ingo..." The younger trainer interrupted shyly. "If you aren't comfortable with us going to your apartment..."

Oh, darn it. She misunderstood his words and took offence; all thanks to his stupid twin and his facility to exasperate him and... why the heck was Elesa snickering? "No, no, don't get me wrong..."

"It's okay, I understand," the girl said quietly to conceal any hint of hurt. "Today is Friday and you work a bit later on Saturdays. You must be tired now and want to enjoy the whole night resting properly and..."

"Hilda, it is not about that. You... um, both of you, don't bother me at all," Ingo explained delicately. "It is just that..." he trailed off to punch Emmet's arm without warning. "_You_ should have told me!"

Indignation racked Emmet's figure while he moaned and rubbed the aching arm. "For the last time, I did told you!" Realization struck the man like another blow, and after gasping dramatically, he turned as angry as his usually easy-going personality would allow. "Wait! Yes! I did told you!" he reassured again, smacking Ingo's chest harder than necessary. "You know, before they came in, when I was practically TALKING TO THE AUTOMATIC DOORS!"

The Subway Boss in black prepared to jab a finger into his twin's chest and keep arguing, but he froze when a few inculpatory thoughts crossed his mind. "No... I-I don't believe so..." he staggered, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself.

Grinning mockingly, Emmet stood taller and folded his arms. "Well, too bad, 'cause I can see in your face that you just remembered _something_."

His teasing only prompted Ingo to open his mouth and quickly close it again, like a fish. He grimaced at Elesa's tittering turning into shameless laughter. "Perhaps I didn't hear you," the flustered man admitted in hopes of re-gaining some dignity.

Confused for real, Emmet broke pose and furrowed his eyebrows. "But you answered me."

"Alright, enough of your stupidity guys~" Elesa chanted, raising both arms in the air as Hilda giggled in the background. "My lungs can't get enough oxygen if I watch you cat-fighting. I had enough of that wonderful scene two days ago."

"Ah, yes, good memories," Emmet grinned dreamily, rubbing his forehead as though it was some war wound to be proud of.

Under normal circumstances, Ingo would have kicked his brother's moony figure from behind; Emmet should be grateful about Hilda's bright smile being the focus of his attention and the relief it caused him. Good to know that, after the though lost battle which obviously hurt her, a stupid quarrel with his twin was all it took to admire that perfect smile upon her beautiful face again.

A small smile played on his own lips at the sight of hers, and he eagerly initiated a new conversation. "So... drinks, uh? Does your mother know about you and your relationship with alcohol?"

"Of course she does," Hilda answered, folding her arms while praying not to fall in some random turn. "And mind you..." She lifted her chin proudly. "Mum is my drinking buddy."

Quiet staring.

And soon, low snorts filled the air until the car erupted with laughter. Even Ingo, who was against her unhealthy habit and probably brought up the topic just to reprehend the trainer, laughed at her without the intention of hiding it.

A part of Hilda realized her mistake and felt rather embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed red and her body suffered a mini-spasm. "I-I mean, one of my favourites," she corrected herself nervously, only for her friends to laugh louder.

"You need more friends than I do," jested a certain beaming man.

His older brother chuckled at him. "Shut it. You are no one to talk. I mean, you are the one who drinks rum at two in the morning and laughs at a turned off TV... alone."

Hilda's jaw dropped.

"No way!" Elesa exclaimed on the verge of having an epic fit of laughter.

"HEY! That's a low blow. We've discussed that a thousand times: the damn TV was on!" Emmet turned around stubbornly. "Besides, it just happened once."

"Wrong," Ingo said dryly. "I _caught_ you once," he smirked at his brother's back. "Anyway, it was a pleasant Christmas."

The females couldn't take the last detail. By the time Emmet faced the girls again, they were already holding their sides in gales of laughter. He seriously considered the idea of counter-attack; there were, after all, two or three interesting anecdotes involving his twin and lethal amounts of alcohol that were begging to be told. But the night would be long, and revenge is a dish best served cold.

So, for the moment being, he let Ingo win the match. "Ah, I see. Good one."

Weird thing, the Gym Leader raised her hand about head-high and shared a hi-five with Ingo. Those gestures only took place in special occasions, most of them revolving around his younger twin's humiliation "Good one? Emmet, I won't never look at you with the same eyes after knowing this."

A snort was the first response. "Believe me, you wouldn't look at me with the same eyes after tonight. No big deal."

The train finally reached Nimbasa and started slowing down.

Both women approached the door.

"The key," commanded the model, spreading out her arm.

Emmet fumbled for the object inside his pocket and placed it on her palm. "I'm trusting you two. Don't steal our stuff because I'll notice."

"We can't promise anything." The door slide open. "Let's get going, Hilda. First, we'll buy drinks and food supplies, then heal our Pokémon."

"Okay. We'll take care of your apartment, guys. See you in a few."

They stepped outside and walked out of the men's sight. In brief, the door slide close again.

". . . Did you just lend Elesa and Hilda our apartment key?"

"Uh? Um, sure. Why not? They are our friends, and Elesa is also like my wife..." Emmet took a seat and Galvantula followed him, settling near his feet. "Except she doesn't wait for me with a served, delicious meal and isn't what we can call 'loyal', but she is somewhat like a wife," he tried to joke, concealing the irony behind his words with a carefree smile that obviously didn't fool Ingo, who simply decided not to push the issue. "Plus, you lent Elesa our key when she went with me to the dentist."

"It is different," he said while sitting very near his brother. "That one time, lending the key was well-justified. In contrast, tonight you are lending the key to meet some drunkards."

Emmet chuckled heartily at his twin's choice of words. "Don't say that. We aren't chronic drinkers." He leaned his head on his brother's shoulder, softer this time. "You'll pay, by the way. Telling my female friends about our last Christmas is inexcusable."

The older man reluctantly put his arm around his twin's shoulder so as not to be uncomfortable. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

"I wasn't alone. You were with me."

"I know–"

"And the TV was on."

Ingo had to bite his lip to stifle laughter. "Whatever you say. Shall you explain to me our plans for the night?"

"Again?"

"Yes, Emmet, _again_."

"Okay..." He leaned in the 'embrace' in such a suggestive manner that, had somebody entered the car, said person could have found all necessary reasons to claim something suspiciously romantic –and illegal– was coming on between the Subway Bosses. "While we're here for the next hour, they'll buy food and alcohol, then head to the apartment so we can spend an awesome night when we get home. Aren't those girls the best?"

A dishonest nod and a hum came in response. "And whose idea was this?"

"Elesa's." Emmet took some seconds to think further. "Well, 20% Elesa's... theoretically, it might have been mine."

"Ah, I see."

"Yeah, whatever. Let me give you some piece of useful advice for the night." The head on Ingo's shoulder was withdrawn, and with it, the unmanly hug lost its purpose. "Don't argue with Hilda about her and drinks. Don't scold her. Remember, you are her adult friend, not her tutor."

"I wasn't planning to do that."

"You'd do it nonetheless. I _know_ you."

Ingo rolled his eyes and reached out for the novel. "Don't presume to know about me."

"Why not?" Emmet asked insolently, lacing his fingers behind his neck and crossing his legs. "It's true."

He was ignored; the book being far more interesting.

"Hey," the Subway Boss in black called out after reading one page. "What did you mean by 'precious addiction?'"

"Oh, that." his twin waved a hand. "Don't get your knickers in a twist. It's legal."

"Of course it is legal, you fool. I just want to know what is it exactly."

A low, mischievous giggle. "You'll see."

.

Hilda placed the innocent bag full of snacks next to the sinful one full of bottles of vodka, rum and tequila, soon followed by two pizza boxes, courtesy of Elesa and her wallet. Both females drowned into the sight as thought it was the most beautiful sunset.

"Ah, there it is Hilda." The model mimicked a reverence with her arm towards the table. "Paradise."

"It's like I've always imagined," Hilda said dreamily with a hand to her heart. "Do we have fruits to prepare cocktails?"

She nodded, not paying visual attention. "According to Emmet, yes."

"Great." They stared at the alcoholic supplies for a short while until the blue-eyed girl spoke once more. "Shall we start without them?" Hilda suddenly suggested, no trace of jokes.

Elesa chuckled loudly and shook her head with a smile from ear to ear. "Don't be impatient, they will be here in brief. Plus, you shouldn't drink without eating first."

She took out two packets of chips from the bag and motioned Hilda to follow her past the living-room to the balcony. They leaned on the thick cement railing with their backs facing the urban view, watching the inside of the apartment through the immense picture window as they ate. During their shopping and short trip to the Pokémon Center, the topic about their lame performance in the battle had been brought up and discussed for most of the hour they spent in Nimbasa markets. Conclusions had been drawn, mistakes had been pointed out, their Pokémon had been healed and were in excellent conditions.

Time to bring up a topic more absorbing.

"I think you need some advice about your man Hilda, just in case," Elesa serenely commented after swallowing the first mouthful.

The trainer choked on her food and had to hit her chest repeatedly to stop the fit of rough coughing and regain some air. "What?"

A sassy wink and an indecent shake of Elesa's head almost prompted her to choke for a second time. That perverted woman hadn't had a single drop of alcohol and dirty comments had started already. And what was worse, she ignored Hilda's obvious hints of discomfort. "Don't be shy, sweetie. Look, if there's something life had taught me must be that a man you find appealing, and drinks, altogether, in the same night, can lead you to experiment a few... _interesting_ situations." The naughty expression abruptly dropped to a bored one. "Unless we're talking about Ingo."

An endless list of adjectives related to shock wasn't enough to describe Hilda's features. "WHAT?"

"We all know he normally is cold and unfeeling like a rock, and mind you, alcohol doesn't change his personality as it occurs to most people," the model continued, conveniently oblivious to her friend's reaction. "But he turns lightly sociable in comparison, and maybe, you could take advantage and... you know..." She elbowed the girl's arm. "Get physically closer to him."

Hilda opened her mouth to spit out a harsh, coherent answer for the older woman's _pointless_ words, but her lips only managed to quiver. She swallowed the mild anger and embarrassment and lifted her head high, as if she were about to say something witty that would send Elesa, who placidly kept eating, to shut the hell up. However, when her mouth re-opened and she looked like she had calmed down, her brows rapidly puckered. "WHAT?!"

Elesa covered her mouth and snorted with a stuffed mouth. She took an unnecessary amount of time to swallow before speaking again, always flashing that sassy smirk of hers. "Hilda, please. _I_ know you like him. _You_ know you like him. The flock of _Pidove_ that sometimes poop on this balcony knows you like him. Why keep on denying it?"

The frown was replaced by a blush. A blush which spread like wildfire across her cheeks. "I-I don't know what you are referring to."

"Come on, you so do. Don't try to hide it, or at least not from me. I've realized that a long, long time ago..." She left the mocking tone behind. "And I honestly don't think it's improper to be attracted towards an older person."

Hilda looked down at her feet, sighing; she didn't like her blush to be noticed when admitting embarrassing truth. Perhaps the trainer had been as obvious as she first thought. "It's not improper. But, I'm too young to care so deeply for a person, let alone if he's older than me." She looked up. There was no need to be ashamed, the Gym Leader was her friend, and explaining the feelings for the man she had been drooling over the past seven months would be a relief.

"It's like I insist on this despite being aware about the impossibility of a mutual feeling. I'm just wasting my time and still can't get over him, can't get him out of my head, and definitely, can't help stalking him whenever I have free time." Hilda threw her head back, biting her lip. She was sober, yet worse than a drunk person speaking about romantic issues. "Even if nothing will come out of this, even if nothing will happen, I really enjoy his company. That's so alien to me."

The explanation came easily, but painfully, and Elesa had to fight the urge of telling, no, _screaming_ at her friend that the feeling wasn't one-sided, that the poor Subway Boss was trapped between a moral dilemma and his desires, and that they shouldn't lock down their feelings because of a factor so unimportant as age. But confessing in the name of Ingo was far beyond disloyalty; nobody else than him should reveal to Hilda his special fondness for her. And if there was something Elesa was particularly good at, it had to be at keeping secrets.

So she held her tongue and went for the supportive-friend strategy instead. "Okay, forget about the dirty advice I was going to give you." She leaned closer, wearing an expression of real sympathy and concern. "Act normal when around him; as if he was a common friend. You wanna hug him? Do it. You wanna bite his shoulder? Go ahead. Just... stop thinking so much, Hilda, and relish his company as much as you can. Maybe when you start seeing him more like the friend he is in lieu of the man who has the power to make your legs tremble, then your crush might eventually fall into oblivion."

What?

Elesa mentally face-palmed. Where did that cheesy speech came from? It wasn't really a bad piece of advise; in fact, sometimes that could work. But those two hadn't been made to be just friends. Ugh, she would need to wash her mouth after that.

"Sorry if don't mention something useful. The situation is overly complicated, you know? Most girls of your age have a tendency to be attracted towards older men in a platonic way... but looks like you're an exception."

Hilda's lips pressed together into a tiny smile. "Don't apologize. It was a satisfying piece of advice." The smile curved into a broad one. "I can't believe we're talking like this being sober; how would it be if we were drunk?"

"We'll find out that later. I think tonight won't be the last time we're going to drink together."

"Certainly not. Your birthday is in two weeks."

"Really? You know when my birthday is?"

The chestnut-haired girl shrugged. "Obviously. You're my friend."

"Sometimes even friends can forget a birthday; glad you didn't though. I want to believe your are coming to the party I'm throwing?"

"You kidding? I'm already there."

"And look who are already here." Elesa pointed to the visible main door behind the glass. "Time to drink~" she then chanted, slipping back into the apartment.

The trainer chuckled to herself and went after the eager Gym Leader.

Indeed, this would be an intriguing night.

.

Elesa slammed her empty glass on the small table by the couch's side. "Have you ever participated in a rotation battle? It isn't as awesome as most people claims!" she commented for the sixth time that night, her eyes inattentively on the TV screen.

From his comfortable spot on the arm-chair across the room, with shirt sleeves rolled up, lacking of gloves, hat and coat, Ingo stared at the disoriented blonde. He had answered that enough times during the night, and he didn't want to explain it again to the drunk model, who –he had to remind himself in lots of similar occasions– still was his friend. He dismissed her words and continued glaring at Hilda and his dishevelled brother, currently dressing in a pair of black loose pants, white T-shirt and mismatched socks, also known as his bedclothes.

Now, he didn't have a problem with a drunk model, nor those two sitting on the floor, playing that antique, ridiculously violent game Hilda had brought. But was their choice of position necessary? Was it really necessary for Hilda to be sitting so languidly between Emmet's legs, resting her back on his chest, lending her shoulder to the man's chin while using her X-Transceiver with two fingers alone due to the half-emptied glass of vodka mixed with orange juice she refused to put down?

He gripped both armrests.

No, absolutely not.

She could have sat next to him, not basically in front of his crotch.

"Take that, you bastard!" Emmet shouted at the TV screen for what felt like the millionth time. "See, Hilda? I win this match! You owe me a beer!" He smoothly nipped her shoulder.

Ingo internally counted to ten to resist the powerful urge of throwing one of his shoes at his twin's head.

Hilda didn't seem to notice the loving bite. "I must reiterate: you'll get that beer when you win a battle with another character than Scorpion. It was the bet, dork."

"But he's the only one I can remember how to fight with!" Emmetprotested, placing the joystick on the girl's lap. He reached out for his own glass beside him and gulped down the whole content within. "What are you doing? Calling your mother? I don't think it's a good idea to do so right now."

"I'm not calling my mother, why would I– hey there, Hilbert! I've just read your message, sorry for the delay!"

The sleepy boy leaned closer to the screen. "Hilda, it's two in the morning, what could you possibly–" he paused and tilted his head, wearing a confused frown. "You are with one of the Subway Bosses?"

"Uh? Ah, yes! Both of them, actually. This one behind me is Emmet."

"Hi, Cheren!"

"Hilbert, you drunk moron."

"Oh, sorry Hilda... hello, Hilbert!"

"Yeah, um, hello," the male trainer coughed awkwardly, his cheeks a little bit rosy. "Judging by your slurred sentences, one can assume you've been drinking, am I correct?"

"Bravo!" the girl exclaimed with much enthusiasm. "Guess who is also here? The great, hot Elesa!" She raised her wrist so the screen showed the merry Gym Leader, who blew a kiss at the device. "And last but not least, the sinister twin!" The screen angled towards an armchair; it revealed the diagonal image of , who, needless to clarify, look much better than his companions. He stiffly waved at Hilbert before the screen returned to the first two people. "You should see Emmet when he is playing Mortal Kombat! He is the living picture of happiness!"

Hilbert pursed his lips. "What's new? That man is always happy."

"No no no. He's _happier_ when playing Mortal Kombat!"

"Eh, that's excellent, Hilda. I'm glad you had another group to hang out and all, but... what the hell do you want?"

"You sent me a message, asking me whether or not I'm doing something tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"Ah, yes." He rubbed his eye in a mildly exasperated fashion. "Cheren, Bianca and I are going to get some train. Although, seeing your current conditions such as, well, your _face_, I don't believe you'll be able to get up that early, so–"

"Oh, shut it. You need more than alcohol to kill me." Hilbert put an exaggerated baffled expression at this. "I'll meet you all at the... eh..."

"Here, in Nuvema," Hilbert went on, clearly exasperated. "Can I go to sleep again, please?"

"Go ahead. Sleep tight!"

"Bye Cheren!"

"Hilbert, we are talking to Hilbert!" she barked between gritted teeth.

"It's the same, for Arceus' sake!"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Good luck with the hangover, guys."

And with that, the screen went dead.

Hilda made herself more comfortable in her human couch – Emmet took it as a silent hint to wrap his arms around her waist.

"Hey, dear brother, do you think we can afford to buy a PlayStation 4?" he then asked at random.

A pair of narrow grey eyes set on him; the reason being his action rather than his words. "Sure, let me pawn two meters of my small intestine first."

Hilda snorted emphatically.

"Well, guess that means no," Elesa concluded aloud with a lost, zombie-like gaze.

"Fine, I get it. No need to be sarcastic." He snatched Hilda's glass away, ignoring her whines, and swallowed the remaining alcoholic liquid. "You drink too slow."

"No, you drink too fast. She relishes every careful sip, whereas you barely feel whatever drink you are having going down your throat."

The trainer turned her head, a smug smile plastered across her slightly tired features. "See? Tonight, I'm the role model whilst you're the black sheep in the family."

"Sure thing! To corroborate your thesis, I'm going to prepare some Daiquiris."

Ingo pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing out heavily. Between the changing conversations his brother initiated and Elesa's repetitive comments, he would go insane. "Can you stick to one topic in specific, Emmet?"

"Not if I'm sloshed," the younger twin admitted on the edge of proud, struggling a little to get up... apparently not intending to remove Hilda.

The older Subway Boss winced and hissed to himself. There was just something completely wrong about that struggle; something that caused his blood to pool around his neck and burn like the vivid flames of hell. "Where do you think you are going?" Ingo demanded and stood up in objection, frowning as if his brother had done the unforgivable. "Stay there and _don't move_. You will ruin them – I have tried your cocktails, and they are awfully strong," he ordered and crossed to the kitchen in a couple of strides.

"Use pineapples!" Elesa shouted after him.

Not thirty seconds later, Hilda expressed her desire for the night. "I'd kill to see that seemly man all hammered." The noises of a blender filled the sector. "Has he been drunk sometime?" she then asked, almost in a whisper.

"Hell, yes. Only twice, when we were younger. They were the worst, and simultaneously, the best drinking sprees I've ever had the pleasure to witness."

She gasped and nearly laughed in denial. "You can't be serious."

"As serious as the man preparing our cocktails."

"Oh, my!" the model swooped down onto the couch, getting her head closer to them. "Why didn't you tell me about drunk poker-faced man? You must share that anecdote with us!" she demanded with plain, malicious interest.

"Well..." Emmet snickered in anticipation; revenge is a dish best served cold. "If I remember correctly, we were nineteen by then. I'd been invited to a party and decided to drag Ingo with me, as usual, since he was in charge of taking care of my unconscious –or conscious but dumbed– wrecked body. We had gone to parties with those people before, but anyway, I don't know what got into him – that night in particular, he drank a highly dangerous amount of strong alcohol with several former partners."

"It was very common, Ingo became more approachable and drank as if his liver was indestructible at most parties, and for some reason, he never got plastered like I used to." He interrupted his tale to release stifled laughter. "At three in the morning, he attempted to cook some sausages for me because I was starving." Laughter turned unstoppable for the three. The girls could tell where this was going. "However, a bottle of who knows what distracted him, and he left them boiling for twenty minutes or so, until they exploded inside the pot," he managed to add, and the three burst into rumbustious laughter.

Hilda shook her head from side to side hysterically. "It can't be, you are inventing this story," she failed to murmur.

He merely chuckled some more. "It's the purest truth."

"What came next?" Elesa insisted through snickers, taking notes to tease her friend later.

"It occurred to his nearly-absent mind that throwing the whole gross meal he had created –pot and all– into a ditch by the house's entrance was the best thing to do."

This time, a muted, spirited cackle came out as Hilda clapped her thigh. "You've got to be kidding. That sounds like something you'd do, not him!"

"I KNOW! Plenty of people in that party thought we'd switched places, or that we'd _pretended_ to switch places... ah, whatever, it was crazy," the Subway Boss ended, throwing his head over the edge of the couch, smiling broadly.

Elesa did her best and fought against the fit of lingering laughter. "The owner of the house banned you, didn't he?"

The Subway Boss released a haughty snort. "Why would he? That night was epic! We solely had to replace the guy's pot." He leaned in the circle they had created, his features twisting into a puckish grin. "And there's a second part that, unlike movies, is as impressive as the first one..."

"They don't need to know about the sequel." Everybody's gazes landed on the stoic man below the bow, looking incensed at a visually healthy level, yet not happy in the least. "I only told them _one_ anecdote about you."

Emmet hugged Hilda closer and stared blankly at a vague point between his twin's head and the bow. "Ups," he mumbled with the most deceptive-sounding guilty tone ever heard.

With the women's inconsiderate laughter, his brother's serene expression tempted by mirth, and the compromising position Hilda casually _agreed_ to be in, Ingo's back went rigid. He clenched his fist before pointing over his shoulders, and spoke with forced tranquillity, "If you'd like to drink, come to the kitchen."

"Aw, don't be like that. Bring them here," the younger twin whined, resting his chin on Hilda's shoulder and gazing up at his brother like an innocent kid. The sharp glare fired at him and the quick twirl transformed his face into that of a shocked one, though.

Yeah, beyond doubt, Emmet was doing something wrong. And it wasn't related to his anecdote at all.

The group left their comfortable two-hour spots, groaning plaintively, disregarding the dizziness and odd pressure racking their napes, and complied.

.

It started with just a round of Daiquiris.

And ended up with five more of tequila.

Despite the constant spinning sensation, the light-headedness and the heat radiating from his skin, Ingo wasn't... totally drunk; tipsy defined his state better. But whatever, he had drunk a satisfactory amount of alcohol to understand his friends' humour.

Well, some of it, he dared to think as he gazed up at all the empty glasses and his noisy friends and twin.

They were clapping the table, hiding red faces with their hands, resting their foreheads on forearms while punching the table; they were laughing the whole time about bizarre plans for the future that not even a person with half a brain would never ever devise; laughing at their own pathetic slurred attempts of words. Always laughing.

Laughing at _nothing_.

… Alright, perhaps he still wasn't getting their jokes.

Maybe the level of alcohol circulating in his blood wasn't as high as theirs. Or maybe, Ingo was busy assuming the hangover he would ought to face in the morning; possible complaints of the people next door; an upcoming heavy day of work consisting of aspirins every two hours, without sleeping, and most likely without Emmet.

Ah, yeah. He could picture everything beforehand.

Laughter decreased to giggles and a new meaningless conversation started. Expectedly, Ingo hardly paid attention.

"I'm not one to judge people, Hilda; I've told you my current life fantasy," Elesa was saying –slurring– at that time. "I'd release all my precious Pokémon just to see these twins making out."

His ears finally processed Elesa's comment and his serious eyes shot up at her; the younger Subway Boss didn't seem to care.

Hilda shook her head in disbelief, chortling. "You're truly disgusting."

"Making out is too much. Would a tequila flavoured innocent peck on the lips be enough to fulfil your wish, my gorgeous queen?"

Mouth slightly agape, Ingo slashed his brother in half with his stormy eyes. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Elesa could have sworn that the kitchen lit up and a choir of angels was singing right behind her. "But of course it would!" she cried out on the verge of gleeful tears.

Her words flipped a switch inside Emmet. He cast a suggestive glance at his older twin, then they exchanged a fleeting, challenging stare, and all at once, both stood up so fast that the chairs nearly fell backwards. Emmet didn't take long to give chase. They ran two times around the table at full speed, pushing aside whichever chair they came across with due to unsteadiness, until Ingo accidentally cornered himself, dragging a chair and holding it up in front of his chest like a battle shield.

"Do not come any closer!"

Had the chair not been between them, the woozy Subway Boss would have pounced on his brother without wasting a sec. "Oh, come on. Just a brief kiss! The public is begging for it!"

"What is your freaking problem? We are siblings, Emmet!"

Leaning closer, the younger twin shrugged and flashed the same saucy smirk. "Well, that fact hasn't really stopped anyone before."

Ingo grunted and pushed him a little bit. "You can't do this every time you drink."

"Wait, you have kissed before and I didn't see it?!"

"Yes. I've tried plenty of times, but only managed to do it twice," the grinning man explained, leaning even closer despite the pressure of the chair against his stomach. "And now, we're about to get the third kiss."

The legs of the chair dug fiercer on his stomach, and the Subway Boss stumbled backwards. "I said no!"

"Please! Some families peck each other on the lips!"

Ingo could feel a migraine coming, and not precisely because of the alcohol. "But not us! I don't like that kind of affection between us, so cut it off!"

Emmet raised his hands in the air defensively. "Alright, alright. I give up! Calm down!"

The kitchen became blue for Elesa, and her expression twisted from one of pure bliss to one of irremediable depression. When Emmet turned around, Ingo allowed himself to slowly put down the chair on its usual place. But either he was overly stupid, or he was too intoxicated to understand his twin's tricks. Because when he just finished lowering his guard, there were two hands cupping his cheeks violently and before him, a similar face to his very own. He didn't have the time to react, and the inevitable occurred; their lips pressed together.

It might have lasted three or four seconds until Emmet pulled back and let go.

But nevermind. The peck duration wouldn't have influenced the group's reactions. As Ingo's still body shook with wrath, Hilda, abnormally startled, was covering her mouth and doing her best to believe her eyes while Elesa squeaked and flailed like a fangirl at heart. And after the fit of anger was unleashed into a murderous glare, Emmet took the sign correctly and burst out the kitchen at lightning speed, laughing like an evil mastermind.

.

4 p.m.

Everything was, as it should, in order.

Ingo had had the time of his life beating the hell out of Emmet; Elesa's fantasy had been conceived; Hilda had laughed the whole night and those two had been playing their precious game for the last hour, this time sitting in different spots.

The older Subway Boss threw his head back and fully rested on the couch, sighing and closing his eyes to intensify the little relief he would surely manage to get during that night and to weaken the dizziness. Lushed or not, everything was perfect. Even if he had watched those two playing Hilda's ancient game and thus, wasted one hour of sleep, that was much better than the beginning. Especially when his brother threw a tantrum every time his yellow-masked ninja blew up into bloody flesh pieces after a lethal 'fatality'.

They could have played another game, since Hilda had brought lots of them, but the rest weren't compatible with the PlayStation. This only increased Emmet's complaints and his desire for a new, expensive one along the night. However, Ingo didn't get tired of telling him that he wouldn't buy a PlayStation 4 just because a twenty-nine-old immature man was asking for it.

"No offence, but you suck at Mortal Kombat," Hilda took the liberty to taunt his friend, who was clumsily putting the wireless joysticks and entertainment device back on its place. She dug her elbows on the edge of the couch, stood up, wobbled for a second, and slumped down next to Ingo.

He drew the conclusion that she officially was quite drunk.

"Don't be so mean to me. I drank a whole lot and haven't played for centuries," the messy man protested, sitting next to her.

"Sure, whatever you say. What should we do now?"

"I dunno... play again?"

"Please, no," Elesa interjected from the armchair, looking –and sounding– worse than before. "No more video-games, the screen brightness is killing my eyes."

"Well, we ran out of alcohol. What do you propose?"

"Mmm... how about you and Ingo kissing one more time?"

Emmet eyed his brother with feigned lust. "I don't see why not."

He slowly eyed him back, more like a warning than a acknowledgement sign. "I swear, I don't mind going to prison for committing fratricide."

The joyful twin tittered as usual, much to his annoyance. "I'll take that as a no. But it doesn't matter, your lips don't hold fresh thrills for me anymore." He drew closer to Hilda with the same look, caressing her back just to see his brother flinch. "Maybe I should try other couple of lips; ones that I haven't tried before."

Besotted, shiny blue eyes grew in size. Hilda giggled nervously and scooted closer to Ingo, resting her hand on his thigh for her unclaimed lips' safety. He pulled her towards him as well, unnecessarily closer, and swatted away Emmet's hand to replace it by his own. He kept his famous, menacing glare on his brother, fed up with hiding his possessiveness. "Back off. _now_."

Elesa reached for her shoe by the armchair's side and tossed it weakly at his arm. "Don't you dare, little perv."

The Subway Boss moved back to his spot in the most bumbling manner, snorting loudly, his state no longer questionable. "Relax, guys. I was kidding."

"Good. Unless it is your twin over there, you aren't kissing anyone else tonight."

"Really?" Before Elesa could object, the man was sitting on top of her. "Not even you?" he purred, cupping her face lovingly, causing the woman's cheeks to heat up.

"Oh, crap. Here they go again! , do something!" Hilda nearly shouted, gripping his thigh rather hard while tugging at his white shirt with her free hand. The last thing she expected, however, were his teeth to sink down onto her shoulder in such a kind way. That went much further his limited affection.

She gave him a baffled, questioning look, to which he solely answered with a simple-hearted smile, tracing slow, soft circles on her back. "You should have been more specific."

The young trainer narrowly handled not laughing for a split second before shifting in search of better view, stroking the Subway Boss' thigh discreetly. "Since when do you bite people?"

"From now, I guess."

"Way to go, brother!"

"Bite her again!"

"Yeah, bite me again!" cheered Hilda, her voice pointing out she was talking to play along, with no apparent aim.

He wisely chose to ignore their slurred words. "Um, I will do it later; I think we had better go to sleep. We all must get up early."

"Yes, you're right. Do you need any help or can I go to my bedroom and finally make out with Elesa?"

The older twin bit his lip and shook his head in disapproval. With or without alcohol involved, his apartment normally ended up being some sort of hotel. "Why don't you sleep with me and let the girls sleep together? That way, nobody is going to sleep in the couch this time."

"What do you got against couches?" Emmet asked rudely, off topic, like all his previous comments and questions and, overall, every single word he had uttered. "What have they ever done to you?"

"True. What is the problem? I want to kiss your brother until his lips bleed, and I can't do that with Hilda." continued Elesa, sharing the same tone. "Besides, it's not like you can't sleep next to her instead."

"Oh, forget it! Why in the world did I ask you two for a favour? Go to sleep already," Ingo growled, indignant, breaking the loose embrace to stand up. "I will clean this mess alone."

He picked up the glasses, the empty bottle placed on the table and headed to the kitchen. Hilda tried to recapitulate the last couple of minutes, but her upper-body fell onto the couch so quickly that her brain shook all thoughts off; she didn't even notice the moment her friends got up, holding hands.

"Dolly, we're going to sleep. Remember my advise: don't think too much." Elesa stroke her chin. "... Or better yet, don't think at all."

Wincing, the trainer raised one hand to her forehead and her heavy eyelids fell shut. "That won't be a problem."

"Hey, wait. Elesa, look at her. Why don't we stay a little longer?"

"Are you sure? Because I have a surprise for you in mind, and I might fall asleep at any second."

". . . Sweet dreams, Hilda!"

"Oh! Um, okay... bye, sapphire eyes!" the model yelled as she was dragged across the hall.

"Yeah, yeah, good night."

By the time she drifted into sleep, Ingo had twisted the pizza boxes and thrown them away, had gotten rid of the snacks packets and discarded all the alcohol bottles. He was putting the glasses back in the kitchen cabinet when he accidentally caught a glimpse of the rigid position in which Hilda was lying on. He wiped his hands on the dishcloth, made his way towards the couch and inspected her sleeping form.

She was curled up with no pillow, narrowly occupying half furniture; her legs hanging out. The sight elicited a troubled sigh. Whereas he was rather tipsy, her hangover wouldn't compare to his, and the couch would only make it harder to bear.

Maybe if he carried her to his bed, she could get a proper re–

Ingo slapped the back of his skull. _'No. Don't even think about it. You are not carrying her, let alone under the influence of alcohol.'_

However, before his mind spilled out more cons, he had already taken the blue-eyed girl bridal style, and carried her body all the way to his room. She groaned once or twice, but her eyes remained close, and even if Hilda shifted continually in his arms, he didn't find her particularly heavy. One of his palms pushed the door open, and he placed the trainer atop his bed with utter care despite the dizziness that refused to subside. He then removed her cap, and when he was untying her boots' pink laces, Hilda's eyes flew open.

Dark, unfamiliar surroundings came into sight. She sat up quietly. "What the...? Where...?" Hilda slurred, instantly spotting the crouching silhouette of Ingo. They exchanged a stunned look. "Did you really carry me?"

"Perhaps... yes."

"Oh. And, may I... ask why?"

"Sure," the Subway Boss started, removing her combat boots as well. "The truth is that you didn't seem comfortable in the couch."

She let her eyes wander around the room. "I see... thank you, then."

He straightened up warily, sticking his feet to the floor so as not to fall. "You are welcome."

"I have a question though," Hilda spoke in a hurry, touching her forehead and squinting at the scarce light coming through the open door. "Has your room always spun like this?"

Ingo dropped his head and released a sound between a snort and a chuckle. "You should sleep."

Her eyebrows knitted together. "Here?" She made an exaggerated dismissive gesture. "No way. This is _your_ room, my dear Subway Master. Thereby, nobody else shall sleep here; not even me."

The man shook his head to himself, a subtle smile forming on his lips. If Hilda's mother knew him in the flesh, and in addition, saw her daughter drunk as a skunk thanks to him and his twin, the woman would absolutely have a whole lot of fun squeezing the oxygen out of their throats. "You are allowed to sleep here. I don't mind spending a few hours in the couch."

"But–"

"Hilda, you _are_ going to sleep here."

"Geez, fine," she reluctantly agreed, struggling with the sheets. "Give me a hand with these."

He flashed a triumphant smile and helped the equally drunk girl, tucking her as a bonus. Light-headedness almost prompted him to tumble right on top op the teen, though he fortunately managed to recompose.

"I will wake you up at eight. Sleep soundly until then."

Hilda sat up again, not giving a damn about the sheets. "Hey, hold on. Do you think you could... you know... stay?"

Ingo flinched. The smile dropped to a thin line and his eyes went unnaturally wide. "Excuse me?" he asked, just in case his hearing was twisting words to its convenience.

"D-do you think you could stay?" the girl repeated, fidgeting with her fingers.

His mind was reduced to a swirl of prurient dreams; he swallowed hard. "You want me to stay and sleep with– I mean, next to you?"

". . . Yes. Would that be possible?"

A blush crept from his neck up to his ears. "I-I don't–" he paused and ran one hand through his hair, inhaling deeply. "I-it wouldn't be a convenient thing to do. Why...? Um, I thought you liked darkness."

"Oh, I do. But since we are friends, I was considering the idea of sleeping in the same bed to..." Her tone of voice decayed. "I know it might sound childish, but I've been having several nightmares, and I'd rather find someone reliable and alive near me to confirm it wasn't real."

"Alive?" The Subway Boss sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. "What do you dream about?"

"Nothing, just... an alternative ending to the battle that all people assure I'll win. It's haunting my dreams."

"Tell me a little about that ending."

Hilda hugged her covered knees and drew her face closer to the man, wobbling in spite of being on the bed. "Upon losing, everything goes to hell. People die trying to resist the new order, the ones I love want my head stuck in a pike, my mother disappears... it's very sad you know, like something... very sad."

The Subway Boss hummed to himself and stayed still for a few seconds. She had drunk a lot to bear with such long speeches. Her words were tumbling from her mouth in a rush of barely distinguishable syllables; it wouldn't surprise him if her sentences soon lost sense. "Hilda, all you said is very unlikely to occur. Your mind is merely playing some tricks on you, don't pay so much attention to those dreams..." he paused and took a sudden hold of the girl's shoulders, fearing she would fall off the bed. Perhaps it wasn't the time to talk about her fate, she was wobbling even without being on her feet. "Try to sleep. If you have a nightmare, go to the living-room and we will talk... but now, lie down."

A disoriented blink was her response. "Why? I'm not sleepy yet."

"Hilda, you awkwardly fell asleep five minutes ago. Let's face it: you are pretty drunk."

"No no no, I'm not. Trust me!"

"Relax, I am not going to reprehend you, I just want you to get some rest. We all will be here in the morning, I promise."

Hilda gently pulled his hands away. "So you won't stay?" she asked, her blue eyes clouding with the slightest bit of hurt.

". . . No. It wouldn't feel correct, I am sorry," the man replied and cautiously rose to his feet, turning to leave, doing his best to ignore the sorrowful gaze clinging to his back. "Remember, I will be in the living-room."

"At least you could say goodnight like a normal person!"

Ingo halted and looked at her over his shoulder, quirking an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Resting her hands on the mattress, Hilda's upper-body nearly fell backwards. "What do I mean?" she reciprocated the question sharply to expose her frustration, promptly recomposing. "Don't play dumb, come here!"

Ingo squeezed his eyes shut and threw his head back; this girl didn't understand at all the danger of their closeness. He turned and walked towards the bed once more, wobbling for a brief instant after the final step. "What else may I do for you?"

Hilda patted the spot where he previously had been sitting, offering a groggy smile. In response, the man released a curt sigh, and complied nonetheless. "Yes?" he asked in his most patient tone, reserved for her and only her.

He had no other choice than to watch her shift until she achieved a kneeling position, obviously helping her in the process despite his confusion. Ingo, however, wasn't expecting neither her arms to wrap around his neck nor the precipitous proximity between their faces.

"Kiss me."

His heart skipped like three beats and his six litres of blood rushed to his cheeks altogether. Coherent words wouldn't come out. "W-w... what?"

Hilda tilted her head to side, smiling brightly, her eyes reflecting love and adoration behind a fog of alcoholic intoxication. "You know, like you did the other night... my forehead."

His body relaxed at the same time a wave of guilt ran all over his spine right to his brain. How could his mind be so wicked? Of course she hadn't asked for _that_ kind of kiss, why in the world would she do it?

After an inflexible nod, he leaned forward and cupped her face with shaky bare hands, pressing her lips to her forehead faintly. Her hand crept up his nape and dug onto his hair, weakly tugging, causing him to pull away and stare at her with eyes unexpectedly as lustful as hers. When he found her own gaze so similar between his hands, he finally felt the will to give in.

"Do what you did in the living-room again... _bite me again_," she whispered breathlessly, straightening to match his height while her other hand trailed down his chest.

His gaze fixed on her inviting lips and his hands went to the sides of her neck. "Where?"

As though she were doing it on purpose, Hilda bit her lower lip. "Wherever you want."

Ingo breathed in deeply through his nose and breathed out in a mellow grunt before leaning even closer, until their lips were mere inches apart. Time froze in that instant. Hilda's eyes fluttered shut in anticipation and so did his. A swarm of Beautifly started flapping its wings inside the girl's stomach when their breath that smelled like multiple types of alcohol flowed together in front of their mouths.

She was ready for her first kiss; he was prepared to claim her mouth, to bite down on the soft, fragile skin of her lips...

But it wasn't the moment. Their first kiss couldn't be like that, with so much alcohol affecting their brains. She was drunk, probably wouldn't remember a thing the next day. And, above all, this was sickly _wrong_.

Hilda gasped after his lips withdrew and one of his hands moved away to be replaced by pointed teeth nibbling the area where neck and shoulder met. It certainly wasn't what she was hoping to occur, but it wasn't an absolute disappointment, either, and her mind might have been far too fuddled to experience some sort of emotion related to anger or frustration.

His teeth nipped her neck for a second time, then for a third one, a little higher. It didn't took long before Hilda was nuzzling his own neck, inhaling his clean, still masculine scent mixed with the weak fragrance of sweet, expensive cologne that would have otherwise been stronger, had it not been sprayed almost a day ago. Both his perfume and natural scent were like an aphrodisiac to her, and perhaps that was the reason why she nipped his jawline, moaning in the back of her throat; the soft vibrations and muffled sound sending a stimulating feeling down his body, directly to his–

_'NO! NOT AGAIN!'_

Ingo pulled away at once and picked himself up, stumbling as he stepped backwards. The trainer watched him, bemused, and fumbled for a something to say. She was interrupted, however, when he cupped her face again and kissed her forehead one last time.

"Goodnight," he mumbled in a rush, then turned around, took out his bedclothes from the wardrobe by the corner of the room, and left without shutting the door.

From her kneeling position on the mattress, Hilda gaped at the spot where the man had been sitting just a flash ago. Her hand rose to her neck, hesitantly, and its digits touched the scarcely humid skin. But her mind was running at a ridiculously slow pace to understand the whole situation... it needed to shut down for a while.

Another round with the sheets began, and upon not coming neither to a loser nor a winner, she flopped on the mattress, instead defeated by the dizziness and somnolence, praying for a harmless hangover, and for the memories to remain unbroken.


	6. Conversations and Arguments

**A/N:** I hate adding OC to my fics. The more I avoid supporting OCs, the better, so I used the sprite of the female waitress in Pokémon X and Y as 'Helena.'

As usual, thank you for reading.

* * *

Hilda set the cutlery on the empty dish and moved it aside delicately to replace the items by her elbows, crossing her arms over her spot at the table. She cast a quick glance around the cozy restaurant full of talking people, then turned to the picture window and, by accident, caught a glimpse of the man before her staring with wide grey eyes.

Truth be told, Hilda had hesitated before inviting him to have lunch together; she thought things could turn awkward after what had happened –or rather, _not _happened– in the early morning. As soon as Ingo woke her up and placed a cup of coffee and some food on the table next to the bed, she confirmed that the teasing kiss scene would perform in her mind all day long. Sure, their greetings _had _been the usual friendly ones, and she was totally sure there had been no awkwardness at all, but one could never know how certain situations might turn out later.

Luckily, Hilda had gathered all the courage within her to invite him and the first half hour proved her assumptions wrong.

"What happens?"

Ingo looked away nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "N-nothing. It is just that I have never seen you eating _real _food and... well, I just realized you eat quite fast to be such a... petite girl. I think you eat as fast as Emmet does."

Hilda chuckled to herself. It seemed this handsome man wasn't keeping in mind that she would always fit the category of a masterful tomboy. "It's kinda scaring me that you continually compare myself with your brother."

"I am sorry, but sometimes you can be so alike."

"Probably that's why we get along well."

The corner of Ingo's lips twitched downwards. He raised his eyebrows and dropped them back promptly before going on, "Right..." he agreed in a bitter voice, placing his fork and knife across his plate neatly and skipping into another matter so as not to think about his twin and Hildaplaying those commonly perverted games. "You do realize that I am not going to let you pay the whole check, don't you?"

Tilting her head, Hilda ran a hand trough her fringe and pulled down, sighing. "Ingo, please. We made a bet and I lost, I _owe_ you this lunch."

"I was joking that day, Hilda."

"Too bad, I wasn't."

He also moved the dish aside. No way he was going to persuade her. "Fine, if you are so eager to pay, then you will this time," the resigned Subway Boss finally accepted, offering a smile when her gaze lit up even more. Something in the atmosphere told him that the reason was the subtle promise of another lunch together. A brief silent moment went by as Hilda gulped the remains of water in her glass. "So, how was the hangover?"

"Hangover?" the trainer questioned arrogantly. "I don't know the meaning of the word."

"Look, I am resistant and certainly more experienced, and stillI woke up feeling a feeble throbbing in the back of my head. There is no reason for me to believe that you didn't suffer. You _must_ have suffered too."

Hilda pursed her lips and nodded in an ambiguous fashion. "More or less. While I was training with Hilbert, Cheren and Bianca, I had a persistent stomach-ache, though it eventually calmed down."

The creepy but charming smirk that formed on his face caused the trainer's heart to do a somersault inside her ribcage. "Exactly as I predicted right after you seized the first glass of alcohol at night," Ingo teased without restraints, leaning over the table. "Be grateful you own a fresh liver yet."

She leaned as well. "Envious, aren't we? I mean, your liver must have been removed and replaced by a plastic bag or something after the pot incident," the teen teased back, crocking an eyebrow and mimicking his smirk.

Ingo opened his mouth to retort, but in lieu of the usual clever words, only calm laughter came out, and he admitted to himself that he actually deserved the mocking, slowly leaning back once more."Believe me, my liver is healthier than you could ever imagine. But let's change the subject, what about the training? How was your team?"

Straightening a little, Hilda softened back to the casual, friendly expression. "They all were excellent. Gothitelle officially mastered Future Sight and... oh! Do you remember that I offered Minccino the chance to evolve? Well, upon rummaging through my things, she took my last Shiny Stone!"

"Seriously? But hasn't she declined twice?"

"I know! After that, I stopped insisting because pushing my Pokémon has never been an option. Today, however, I'm sure it was her decision."

"So you assume it was on purpose?"

"Absolutely! I can't tell since when, but she has wanted this more than defeating the League. She seems hugely happy with her Cinccino form."

"Not to mention that it is the most appropriate time."

Deafening short-lived silence.

"Yeah." Hilda made a slight pout and looked down, her tone dropping a little bit. "At first I thought she did it to please my obsession with strength. But then I convinced myself and decided she actually changed her mind."

"Obsession with strength? I have always believed you were the kind of trainer who craves balance between both strategy _and_ strength."

"Hm-hm. That's right. But lately, I've been too focused on toughening my team more than anything else. You know, with this _Plasma _threat..." she explained, practically spitting the penultimate word.

"It doesn't sound like you. I believe this is truly affecting you, Hilda. I don't want you to be consumed by this bunch of cracked-brain people..." he trailed off, as if remembering something. "I could barely stand the sight of you crying because of them, and now you are mentioning nightmares and trouble with your way of being a trainer? The people who cares about you... We can't do anything to stop this. I am well aware of the inability to control dreams, but _you_ are the one in charge of keeping your qualities unaltered, and your emotions in check."

Hilda puckered her lips and looked down at her index fingers pressing against each other. "I'm allowed to be afraid too you know, once in a while," she mumbled shyly, quietly.

"And I couldn't agree with you more. However, this mild changes..." he paused and again leaned as close as possible, silently inciting her to do the same in search of a more intimate atmosphere. "You are not like this. You have always been self-confident enough to trust your skills and qualities, and you have always known how to keep calm. We simply can't help you with that."

The young trainer nodded painfully before interlacing her fingers in front of her eyes and resting her head there; her gaze set on the window; her throat unable to articulate words. Ingo was absolutely right, she couldn't expect people's help and support to solve her emotional problems. To achieve a serene state, first, _she_ ought to help herself.

"Are you all right? I didn't offend you, did I?"

Her brow furrowed and she shook her head vigorously, as though the response was obvious. "Pretty much the contrary. How could I be offended by you when you frequently utter the most suitable words?" Hilda flashed a warm smile. "You can't do the impossible, clearly as that. Yet you're determined to hear me out each time I need it, and I'm grateful for that."

Ingo smiled back, alleviation flowing inside him. "You are welcome." He went back to the serious expression and inquired hesitantly, "Is there any sign of them? Have you ever come across them since you started this break?"

Hilda slumped on the backrest. "Fortunately, no. I haven't seen N nor his father for a long while. Last time I ran into N was like two months ago in Icirrus City, at the Dragonspiral Tower where he caught Zekrom. He was talking nonsense to me, something about him finally being a hero with Zekrom's trust, and something about _me_ becoming a hero as well... ah, I don't know. That guy is very eccentric. I wonder if he's okay..."

The Subway Boss looked attentively at the teen as she spoke, recalling her previous tales which included too much information about that older green-haired lad, such as his intentions to _befriend _her, the ride he took with Hilda on the Ferris Wheel in order to tell her who he really was –Ingo had to inhale deeply through his nose multiple times when she told him about that particular meeting– and the strange conversations they often shared. From what he had heard, Ingo jumped to the conclusion that the boy had problems to relate with people in general and that Hilda couldn't help feeling socially awkward around him. But other than those assumptions, he believed that N was a fine person. Even if he kind of, well, _loathed _him for the remote but still possible fact of him being Hilda's love interest –judging by the soft tone she accustomed to use while speaking about him– and also saw the boy as an adversary who _apparently_ seemed to have taken interest himself in Hilda, Ingo didn't actually thought N was on the evil side.

"As for his father, Ghetsis, I last saw him in Opelud City a week or so later," the blue-eyed girl went on. "He was reciting one of his senseless, famous speeches when he spotted me through the mass of people that had gathered there, and he took the opportunity to leave it clear that his son had caught Zekrom and was patiently waiting for both Reshiram and I." Hilda interrupted herself to release a stressful sigh. "This is ridiculous, Ingo. I'm no hero. Who can even assure I will get Reshiram? It's like- like a fantasy movie. It's frankly... unbelievable."

Elbows on the table, Hilda drew her palms to her face out of hopeless confusion.

One of Ingo's hand instinctively reached out to touch her forearm. "Hey, no. Look at me," he pleaded, his voice soft and deep. No response came. He tried shaking her lightly. "Come on, look at me."

Hilda slowly lowered her hands and complied, tears that refused to fall shining in her eyes. She blinked them away quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the lunch..."

"You ruined nothing," he soothed with a gentler tone, laying a hold of her hands. "You are paying, remember? I can't imagine a way to ruin a free meal." The corner of her lips curled upwards into a reassured tiny smile and she looked down, partly ashamed. Ingo stroked her smooth hands a little bit harder. "Let time pass."

She nodded with effort and closed her eyes for a brief while, enjoying the warmness radiating from his much bigger hands. Upon re-opening them, her vision was no longer blurry and the feeling of comfort had already taken over. They smiled fondly at each other before Ingo caught glance of their oncoming blonde waitress. He immediately drew his hands back, leaving a confused Hilda blinking at the loss of touch. She flinched when a polite feminine voice spoke from behind her.

"Excuse me, I just noticed you two have been sitting here for a while with empty dishes and no drinks. Is there anything else you would like to order?"

Hilda turned to the waitress, a beautiful young woman in her early twenties whose wavy blonde hair was fastened into a side ponytail. She wore a typical waitress uniform, consisting of a white tight-fitting shirt, equally tight black leggings, black high-heels and a matching black short apron that one might mistake for a skirt from distance; the woman's gaze was set on Ingo alone. Hilda rolled her eyes and turned her head at the man, giving him the lead of the dialogue.

"No, don't worry. We are leaving in brief. Thank you... er... Helena, is it?"

"Yes," the waitress replied blithely, smiling from ear to ear. "I'm glad you remember both my name and my face."

"Why would I forget it? I have seen your face quite often around the Subway."

"Indeed. We have battled in multiple occasions. I managed to challenge your brother once, but it turns out I'm a mess when it comes to double battles. By far, individual battles show off my team's skills a little more, don't you think?"

"Well... as I never had the pleasure to witness one of your double battles, that is something I could not tell."

A shy new smile tugged at Helena's lips, and she crossed her forearms behind her in a lovely fashion. "We can solve that any day you want."

Hilda's blue eyes widened in alarm. _What the actual fuck?! _Her neck almost snap at the sharp turn she made to glare daggers at the waitress. Was this tart attempting to flirt with Ingo right there, in front of her? Helena didn't appear to notice the hatred stare. In fact, it seemed her gaze was naturally blocking Hilda, as though she was invisible. Hilda slowly turned back at Ingo and they exchanged a fleeting glance.

The Subway Boss fidgeted with the cutlery before abruptly recomposing. It looked like he got the woman's intentions. "We can do that... or I can also ask my brother about your performance and leave it easier," he spoke in a deadly serious manner, leaning further onto the chair. Hilda snorted under her breath.

"Um, sure, it's easier that way," Helena coughed awkwardly, her face as red as a tomato. She leaned over table delicately, and for the first time, gave a sign of acknowledgement to the girl's existence. "Excuse me," the young woman said, piling up both plates and glasses. "I'll bring the check."

"Thank you," came his much friendlier response.

And with that, she nodded and walked away hastily, hugging the items to her stomach.

"You dog," Hilda tried teasing once the waitress was out of sight, unintentionally doing her worst at keeping a straight face.

Ingo blinked a few times in a row, pretending he didn't know the reason to her comment at first. "Pardon me?"

"You've turned down a pretty woman."

"Oh. Yes... I think I did." He tapped his gloveless fingers on the table. "Is it my impression or you are... somewhat stunned?"

"Well, a little, actually. This _Helena _is pretty for real."

"And because of her beauty, you were expecting me to flirt back?"

Hilda shrugged. "Yeah. But it looks like I was wrong – what happens? She's not your type?"

"Um, I don't think I have a specific 'type' when it comes to women. I just don't want to court someone in front of you. The mere idea of such thing occurring sounds rude."

Uh-uh. Now, that _did_ strike a nerve. "So, if I hadn't been here, you'd have flirted back?" Ingo remained speechless, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Do you at least find her attractive?"

"She is... aesthetically nice, I will give her that."

"So... You _would _have flirted back. Is that correct?"

". . . I guess."

Hilda hummed and nodded to herself. "Does this happen often? Some random appealing women trying to chat up with you?" she then asked, not willing to expose her jealously.

"Mmm, you sound a bit angry. Why?"

And evidently failing.

"What? No no no, not at all," she denied with a high-pitched voice. "I'm just asking out of curiosity."

"Er... Is that is the case... This has happened sometimes, yes. Not in _everywhere _I go, but every now and then it might happen. What doesn't occur, however, is reciprocation. No matter how beautiful the woman in question, I don't like flirting with someone at random."

The trainer quirked an eyebrow. "But you said you would flirt back if I weren't here."

"True, because Helena is my acquaintance. She is not a random woman, I know her, if only slightly, and as I clarified before, I also found her quite alluring."

Shaking with rage for a millisecond, Hilda put her hands on her thighs and gripped them hard, not letting her emotions in charge and always keeping a smile. "You know her and you still have the guts to reject her?"

"Of course. She is not my friend, and it is not like she will shoot me for this either. Plus, I handled being as subtle and gentle as possible."

"Oh, yeah, sure thing," Hilda agreed sarcastically. "She looked absolutely pleased after your subtlety."

"This is not so important. I didn't ruin her life or got her fired by not showing interest in her."

"Even though you _do_ are interested in her?"

Ingo kept silent for an instant. "Maybe I _am_ interested in Helena, but it is very much minimal. I won't fret over this and neither will her." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Now, please, be quiet. She is coming with the check."

"Okay, I get it," Hilda mumbled back, containing any unsuitable reaction with a stuck busy brain processing over and over again what Ingo had just admitted. _'I can't believe he's genuinely interested in her after all... Even if it is a smallness as he assures, I can't believe it.'_

The blonde waitress approached the table, paper in hand, and asked in a low voice, "so, who's the lucky one?"

Hilda snapped back to reality. "Oh, that would be me." She reached out for the check. "That happens when one loses a bet," she told the waitress humorously, earning a fake, half-hearted smile. Hilda wasn't expecting a real one anyway, let alone an answer, so she distractedly proceed to eye the final amount written in the paper, then took out two notes from her shorts' pocket and handed it to the taller woman. Helena went to the counter for a moment, came back in brief with the change, and finally left for another table without saying a word.

"You'd better not eat here again, Ingo," Hilda suggested while leaving some notes under the napkin ring.

The Subway Boss knitted his brows in utter confusion and rose to his feet. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that you should find another place to have lunch." She grabbed her cap that had been resting on the side of the table, placed it back on her head, and stood up as well. "Unless you don't mind the taste of spittle and long, thick blonde hairs in your food."

"Don't be ridiculous, Hilda. Come on, time is up, I must go back to work."

"Fine. But just in case, I left a good tip."

.

Elesa pushed Emmet further into the office couch and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, fighting for dominance and partly trying to get a more comfortable position to carry on devouring the man's mouth. He let out an unwilling moan and submitted to the gorgeous model, pressing their bodies together as close as possible by catching hold of her tiny waist and moving one hand to the back of her head. Elesa breathed in through her nose and intensified the kiss in approval, slipping her skilled tongue past his lips once again. A tingle ran down her spine when the bare hand on her waist slid all the way down to her lower-back and the Subway Boss' tongue battled back for dominance.

Neither of them could tell how much time they had been sitting there, tasting each other's mouths and rocking their clothed warm bodies together like a couple of inexperienced teenagers, or whathad led them to make out in such a passionate way, for that matter. They only knew they were kissing to kill the insatiable need for each other's delicious touch, and that neither of them didn't want to stop yet.

But then, when the air within their lungs decreased dangerously, the pair had no other choice than to pull away and break off with the thin trail of saliva connecting their barely swollen lips, just to gaze lovingly into each other's souls. As they panted in unison, Elesa suddenly remembered her reasons, and she felt a pang of guilt at the sight of his half-lidded eyes clouded with the most honest fondness; no one had ever looked at her like that. Her own light-blue gaze softened at the thought inspired by his tender expression – no one could even compare to Emmet.

The feeling of guilt grew stronger at the second his caring hands kindly raised to cup her face, and he offered one of his sweetest smiles. Elesa's heart melted straight away. With great mental effort, she left everything aside and crushed their mouths together once more as his hands intuitively moved back to her waist. She gradually started trailing innocent kisses down his cheek and jawline, only to seize his neck violently and claim his pale skin, licking and nibbling at the side of his throat as if her life depended on it.

"_Aaah... _Elesa!"

A smirk formed against the patch of abused skin and the moan encouraged her to suck pointedly, in the brink of turning into an act of aggression.

"Please... _aah..._ _n-no_ marks," Emmet begged in a voiceless whimper, squeezing one of her hips.

"You can hide it with your collar," came the Gym Leader's breathy response.

"Ngh, no... I'm not wearing my coat, it's –_ooh–_ very... hot today."

Elesa brushed his neck all the way to his ear with her lower lip. "Don't blame the weather." She pulled at his earlobe with her teeth. "_You _are the hot one here."

A blush crept up Emmet's cheeks to his ears. Freaking sexy woman and her seductive voice that caused his own words to die in his mouth and his body weaken. "Elesa..."

She merely giggled and drew her head away. "Okay, okay, I'll stop here."

"I appreciate it..." Did he? "Now, I think you should get off before we started this all over again."

"Oh, do we really have to? Your flushed face looks so adorable right now." She nuzzled his own nose briefly. "I could bite your cheeks and lips all day long!"

Emmet looked down and snorted lowly as his shoulders tensed up, the typical shy reactions only his beautiful model could elicit from him, even for the shortest moment. "The marks need to cease, people will believe I'm in an abusive relationship or something," he mumbled timidly, still smiling.

"So? They need to now who's in charge here."

And just like that, the shyness disappeared from both his features and voice. He chuckled. "Alright, that's it." Without previous warning, Elesa was removed from the man's lap and shoved at his side on her back. She let a high-pitched curt shriek when Emmet pinned her wrists above her head with solely one hand and dug his knees on the couch to prevent her from escaping. "I'll show _you_ who's in charge here," he purred playfully, his free hand languidly placed on the blonde's stomach.

Elesa widened her eyes; she could already feel the tickling sensation. " Emmet, don't you dare– AH! NO NO STOP, AAAH!"

Her scandalous laughter filled the office. She squirmed and thrashed as much as her position allowed her to, but the tickling of his hand and his strength put her at loss. At some point, while started Emmet cackling madly, his other hand took the risk and came down to work on the side of her stomach as well. Elesa's legs automatically began to kick the air and her fists to weakly attack his arms out of desperation as laughter and shrieks turned inane and unstoppable.

"DYING! DYING! NOT... BREATHING...!" She choked in a gasp. "_PEE!"_

A snort later, he decided put an end to the ticklish torture and let go. "My my, you really are sensitive."

"Shut up... psycho..." Elesa muttered and placed the back of her hand over her forehead in a lazy fashion, panting faintly under the smiling man on top of her, who apparently preferred to keep his comfortable seat on her lap than to move his rear. Elesa glanced at the pair of currently innocent large hands resting on Emmet's thighs, then at his blinding, warm smile, and she tried, for real, to suppress the lingering feeling of guilt. "Now that you're quiet done, could you tell me what time is it?"

He lifted his shirt sleeve and checked the Xtransceiver screen. "It's nearly half past one. We'd better hurry! I must come back at two or my evil twin will rip off my head with his teeth!"

As the Subway Boss lifted his taller form and stepped on the ground, Elesa couldn't help but freezing in place. Damn it, she should have told him before. She kicked her legs aside to achieve a sitting position, but when he didn't notice the lack of words and instead walked up to the rack where the rest of his uniform hung, Elesa call out to him quietly, "Um, Emmet, I have a question."

He slipped his hands into the white gloves and turned around. "Yeah?"

"Why didn't Ingo and Hilda invite you?"

"Oh, they did invite me. But it was a bet between them, and I don't like being the third wheel you know. Something in the air around them told me they needed some time to themselves, so I turned it down. Besides, you're here; we might as well eat out."

Overly ashamed, Elesa looked down, squeezed her eyes shut, and winced at the answer. _'I'm such a little piece of shit.' _"Emmet... I'm afraid we can't have lunch together today."

His bright smile was erased from his face at once. "What do you mean?"

"It's time for me to go, that's what I mean."

"Oh, sure... You must have some business to attend to. I know your schedules by heart." He took a seat next to her, settling his dull gaze on the uneasy gloved palms over his lap. "From five to eight p.m, Gym Leader. The rest of the day, a model. I suppose you've got a photo shoot, right?"

Elesa swallowed the distressed lump in her throat and blinked hard. That was indeed a good excuse... but also a blatant lie. She couldn't bring herself to lie to him, this odd relationship was enough. Even if it would prevent arguments between them and –at first– hurt him less, she just couldn't fool him in such an impudent manner. "No, it's not that." They turned necks simultaneously and locked eyes. "I'm going to meet with someone... with a man." And that moment, the rest of Emmet's body lost importance; his eyes were the only thing that mattered, the only part that seemed to react and show the pervasive pain taking over all his senses.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, angling his head so as not to face her while nodding sternly to himself. "Of course, I should have foreseen a date. What else could it have possibly been? What an idiot."

Biting her lip, the blonde reached out and touched his arm tentatively. "Look, Emmet, I'm really so–"

"Who?"

". . . Excuse me?"

"From all your men... who are you meeting with?"

Regardless of his collected tone, Elesa could plainly hear the screams at her, calling her '_slut' _in all existing she agreed silently with them; she deserved it. Truth should never offend anyone. "Volkner, the Sinnoh Gym Leader. Since he arrived here, we have been training our electric partners together every now and then... do you remember him?"

The dull look remained settled at the front. Emmet shook her hand away. "I do. Isn't he supposed to be attending his Gym? He's been here for a month or so by now, shouldn't he go back to Sinnoh?" he inquired, unexpectedly sounding rude, his words dripping with hate and bitterness.

Elesa didn't protest at the tone, and neither did her answer in a matching one. "He left a qualified friend in charge. We, Gym Leaders, also need vacations you know. Otherwise, we'd be stuck forever in he same city without getting to explore the rest of the world at least once."

"Right," the Subway Boss agreed dryly, almost sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Elesa sighed. She knew his defence mechanism as though it was about the palms of her hands – if there was a lesson experience had taught her, it certainly had to be that hiding sadness beneath a burning wall of anger and hatred didn't work for anybody, let alone for someone as soulful as Emmet. "I don't want to go through that door and leave you here, feeling like thrash. Is there anything you would like to mention to blow off steam before I leave?"

"Really? Is that everything you're going to offer me? The chance to complain? Come on, Elesa! Five minutes ago you were purring things like 'oh, I could bite your cheeks and lips all day long', but now you've got to leave?"

"I'm very, very sorry. I got carried away! My intention was to flatter you by those words!"

"Don't give me that crap Elesa!" He snapped and stood up immediately after, thoroughly indignant. "Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you wait until the last minute? You've been here since morning! It's like you did it on purpose!"

"Of course not! I-I didn't thought it would be necessary to clarify this so early. A-and then we started kissing–"

"No! _You _started kissing me! What the bloody hell are you playing at, woman?!" He spun around so she couldn't see the anxious way he pulled at his messy grey swept bangs and his hurt expression mixed with overwhelming rage.

Clearly at disadvantage, Elesa got up as well in a miserable attempt to defend the indefensible, without raising her voice. "I'm not playing. You accepted this, you agreed to this."

Releasing an inhuman-sounding grunt, Emmet rubbed his forehead fiercely before shooting his most furious look at the nervous woman over his shoulder. "I don't know what the heck are you talking about! I don't remember having signed a contract stipulating that I must share your body in order to get some of your company!"

"Oh, no, here we go again. Emmet, I'm sick and tired of explaining this to you over and over. Since the very beginning, I've insisted: we'll never be in a commitment relationship. I made sure to leave it pretty clear, and you understood and _accepted _my conditions_._"

"And which conditions did I exactly accepted?!"

"Freedom! For you and for me! I'm allowed to see other men, and you are allowed to see other women as w–"

"I don't want to see another woman! I've never wanted to!"

"Then why did you agree to this type of relationship if it isn't what you truly wish?"

It was then than he spun sharply to face her once more, balling his fists at his sides. "BECAUSE I DIDN'T THOUGHT THIS WOULD LAST TWO GODDAMN YEARS!" Elesa flinched and her eyes went wide. In addition, she backed away against the edge of the couch when Emmet strode across the office like a destructive flurry and clenched her arms, shaking her as if she was ignoring him. "How could you let me spend two years of my life?" he demanded, his voice cracking and sounding weaker; the rising dampness in his eyes not going unnoticed.

The model's gaze softened instantaneously under that hopeless stare, and she felt her own voice quavering. "Emmet, please, don't blame this on me. We argued uncountable times, I suggested you to date other women, warned you in several occasions; I've never hinted a serious relationship in my life."

Emmet blinked the threatening tears away and released the woman's arms in defeat. "Two years is long enough to give me hopes. Why weren't you expecting enthusiasm? We've been staying at each other's apartment for more than I can recall; it's been two years of endless conversations and make out sessions in trains, in this office and even in our beds, and yet, for some reason, we haven't gone all the way. And it's okay for me, despite the effort I'm bound to make in order to control my urges and the bodily pain that comes with being teased to death only for the official thing to be denied right in the heat of the moment, that it's okay for me, because I wouldn't be capable of forcing you to do something you don't want to."

Pause. "But I don't understand. If you don't want us to be a couple, and neither do you want me as something akin to an intimate lover... What in the world do you want with me? What do you need me for?" He looked down and his eyelids fell shut dispiritedly, too confused and hurt to keep strong. "Why didn't you help me to put an end before I fell for you?"

Elesa felt a knife slicing through her heart. There was no easy explanation to his answers. She would have liked to spell out every single conflicting reason that tortured her mind in a daily basis, ranging from her ravenous addiction to him, to the way she wasn't able to identify love, simple crushes and lust; from her wish to settle his company and touch as a permanent habit to her firm refusalto even _consider_ the idea of establishing a commitment relationship; from her fear of ruining their priceless friendship to her fear of loosing his caresses and kisses. _Everything._

If only Emmet knew, without counting the unwarranted anger she had previously feigned to no avail, how many times she had tried to put distance between them in order to end this vicious circle and stop hurting him, he would probably understand just a little bit more. But he didn't have the foggiest idea. Emmet didn't know about those unattainable fantasies she enjoyed so much, in which he was continually screwing her senseless until she became utterly spent, and he undoubtedly didn't acknowledge the fact that, regardless of her desires, she just wouldn't take him as though he was a random man for whom she didn't give a damn. He didn't know how much she ached for going all the way too, nor did he know how much self-control she also needed to put a stop at the time limit.

And perhaps... all her complex reasons would make the situation all the worse. Elesa wasn't prepared or willing to admit such facts to herself, let alone to Emmet, who was far too confused to think about reasons that not even Elesa could get to understand.

The Gym Leader cupped his face fondly and rested their foreheads together. His sad eyes flew open at the touch, meeting her own equally mirthless pair straight away. "I'm terribly sorry," were all the words Elesa managed to mutter. Emmet closed his eyes again, tensing up for an instant at the shrink inside his chest. "We messed up. I wasn't supposed to help this to last two years, and you... you shouldn't have fallen in love with someone like me, who needs total an careless freedom above all to carry on a full life." She pulled his head down and stood on her tiptoes, planting an intense, quick kiss on the taller man's forehead. Her hands abruptly threaded trough his grey hair and she said with a quavering, cracked voice, "Please, don't think I don't care about you."

With that, all physical contact ceased. Elesa sniffed almost soundlessly and marched out of the office in a couple of quick steps, slamming the door hard enough to elicit a reaction from the motionless Subway Boss. Emmet straightened up slowly, then opened his eyes and headed to the couch. He sat down tiredly and sighed, wearing a thoughtful, worried expression.

Shortly after, the man drew his face to his palms, and it would be like half an hour before he put back the rest of his uniform and went back to work.


	7. Fall of Illusions

"All right, time to finish this battle. Gothitelle, use Shadow Ball! Bisharp, Iron Head!"

The blade sticking out the top of Bisharp's head turned into iron from base to tip and he nimbly jumped into the air. Meanwhile, a dark black purple orb of energy formed in between Gothitelle's hands, which she fired without hesitation at the currently weak Durant struggling to stay up. Just as the dark ball collided with the steely arachnid, Bisharp slammed into Eelektross head first. Both foes stumbled backwards, groaning in pain until they reached their trainer's feet.

However, when they made an effort to keep on fighting, the Subway Boss was quick to interrupt the battle, "That should be enough, Hilda. Today victory's yours." And without another word, Emmet returned the worn out pair to their respective Poké Balls.

Hilda solely blinked in confusion. Her friend had never behaved this decentralized and cold towards his Pokémon in any battle before. It almost felt like an empty victory. "Oh, um... okay. Well done guys! Thank you very much for your help!" She pulled out two Poké Balls and returned her own partners as well. Her gaze followed the taller man to the blue seats where he sat down wearily, chewing his lower lip in a somewhat angry, stressful fashion. Hilda didn't vacillate between sitting down next to him and leaving. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emmet replied straightaway, crossing his legs and presumably avoiding eye contact.

Hilda's brows puckered at the obvious lie. "Let your face know it then," she teased sarcastically, earning an unusually sharp, spine-chilling glare that automatically led her to scoot away. She could literally sense the dark aura overcharged with negativity as Emmet turned again. It was terrifying. "Um, you know," the trainer prompted after a minute of tense silence, "Your team did very well today..."

Her hesitant words didn't exactly draw a sign of interest. "... Your point?"

"Oh, er..." Hilda scratched her nape awkwardly. "Don't you think you were somewhat harsh?"

"Look, Hilda, I'm in a very bad mood. Harshness it out of my control and I frankly don't care about your disapproval right now."

Hilda only gaped at him. "Sorry..." she muttered apologetically. "I'm so used to your sweet frequent attitudes. I thought–"

"You thought what?" he hastened to ask. "That I can't get angry? That because I'm gentle and childish most of the time, I can't have a bad day either?"

"What? No, no, it's not that! I just don't like you being this way–"

"Oh, excuse me. Do I dislike you when I toughen up?" Emmet leant closer, his tone collected but holding downright bitterness. "Well, I'll tell you something, Hilda. I may usually be all smiles and joy, I may act helplessly and hug people most of the time, but I'm fed up now and I need and _want_ to be hateful like normal people, just like the rest of the world. So if you have a problem with that, I suggest you don't stay here today."

Hilda kept her perplexed, hurt stare. "Don't say that to me. I'd like to stay here and figure out a way to cheer you up..."

"How ironic," Emmet said dryly, "Because at this time, all I'd like is to be alone."

Hilda looked down at her lap, feeling useless and dejected. She hadn't imagined that such a caring man would someday snap like this. "Sorry, I-I'm only worried about my friend... I'll leave you alone."

She stood up and walked in the direction of the next car. Emmet didn't want to do something about it, didn't want to soften, but some people were just born to be aggressive, not heartless. In the end, guilt beat anger and he called up to her. "Hey, no, wait." She turned around and the Subway Boss immediately sighed at the once happy face his mood ruined. "Forgive me. Whatever happened to me is neither your fault nor my team's. I'm really sorry."

Hilda offered a faint smile. "Chill out. If a friend doesn't tolerate you all ill-tempered, then who will?"

Emmet allowed an equally weak smile to form on his lips. "No one, I guess." He patted the spot beside him. "Come here, I don't really want to be alone."

The girl laughed heartily. "Yeah, I wouldn't have left anyway."

"So I sacrificed part of my dignity for nothing. Is that what you're saying?"

She sat down again, her expression playfully condescending. "Yes."

He rolled his eyes just as playfully. "After being my unpaid, non-professional psychologist, I suggest you go and see my brother for lunch. We aren't eating together today; he's going to appreciate your company."

Hilda raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

"He eats properly when someone is with him. You know, real food, not coffee or some random piece of Rubbish crap. It's a habit he's been trying to follow."

"Oh. Okay... but I lunched with him yesterday. If you don't want to be alone, then I'd rather have lunch with you instead." She put a finger to her chin. "Though I don't understand why you two aren't eating together. Have you argued?"

"I'll skip lunch time today," Emmet explained, rubbing his eyelids. "There are a few more urgent matters that require my attention."

"Oh, I get it." Hilda winked at him suggestively and mimicked quotation marks. "Urgent matters."

Emmet was quite lost in this new conversation. "What are you implying?"

She arched her eyebrows and straightened them quickly a couple of times, then winked again. "By urgent matters you mean Elesa, don't you?"

"Not quite what I was referring to," the man replied flatly, his features lacking emotions. "By urgent matters I mean precisely that: urgent matters, such as paying bills and stuff."

Hilda dropped the insinuations at once. Apparently, there were some love issues as well. "Trouble in paradise?"

"This has never been paradise, Hilda. It will never be."

"That bad?"

He dragged his gaze away. "Yes. I'm done with her this time."

"Emmet..."

"Don't make comments or remarks," the Subway Boss interrupted, sounding a little incensed. His name had been pronounced that way before. He could foretell what his ears were about to hear. "I know I've said it before and failed at making my words come true, but now is different. I'm getting older. I don't need someone to fool me; I need someone I can unconditionally rely on." He paused and gazed at the car floor, thoughtful and crestfallen, but still determined. "Elesa refuses to be that person, and I refuse to keep waiting and suffering for her."

Hilda's heart filled with sympathy. She had witnessed the way they hopelessly got stuck while Emmet made most part of the effort to save and let their attempt of relationship flourish. And yet, she had also been a spectator of Elesa's stupid, inexcusable mistakes. "She's not prepared for a relationship."

"The way I see it, she simply doesn't return the feeling. She's not in love with me."

For a brief moment, the girl considered the idea of telling his friend that perhaps this wasn't going right due to Elesa's emotional immaturity; that maybe the model could actually be in love but had some difficulty to identify her feelings or react wisely at them... However, Hilda knew those were her hypothesis. She couldn't tell him what his ears might find soothing. Not to mention that after a long wait of two years leading solely to such a huge disappointment, Emmet possibly wouldn't buy them anyway. So instead of opening her mouth, Hilda took off her cap, placed it beside her, and reached for the hand resting absently on his thigh to give it a firm, warm, supportive squeeze. "I'm so sorry things didn't come out like you wanted."

Emmet sat still for a while, staring at their hands blankly, his face as empty as the air around them, until he felt ready to pull his hand away gently. "It doesn't matter anymore. Please, let's change the subject."

Hilda pursed her lips and nodded energetically, though she didn't bring up a different topic like her friend had requested. In fact, Emmet was caught off guard for real, at the instant she decided to throw her petite body on him, cornering the man between her and the end of the seat, wrapping her arms around his neck like a snake with bone-crushing strength, and then deliberately planting a heavy, noisy, lovely kiss on his cheek. When the Subway Boss turned his neck at her, Hilda laid her head there, onto his shoulder, likely without the intention to remove it any time soon. "Then what would you like to talk about?"

"Mmm, why don't we..." He drew the girl closer, to be more comfortable while embracing her by the waist. "Remain this way for the rest of your visit..." She took the opportunity to tuck her head under his chin. "Till something interesting arises?"

Hilda nodded lazily and tightened her hug. "Sounds perfect."

It wasn't until Emmet spoke up a couple of minutes later that the silence broke. "But seriously, go and see Ingo."

And of course, the trainer wouldn't resist such an offer.

.

Hands in pockets, Hilda strolled across the Gear Station, flashing a wholehearted smile and emanating self-confidence. She passed by the restless crowd of people, and unlike them, the girl ignored the different accesses that led to the battle trains and headed to the side of the large building where the silent rooms for employees were located. Depot Agents knew the trainer was allowed there since each one had been informed about her friendship with the Subway Bosses and her unproblematic nature. No longer did they try to escort her out when she decided to show up, and no longer did they announce her arrival to the twins in charge. In fact, as Hilda walked through the wide corridor which split in two at the end, most workers waved, tilted their caps and even smiled at her in a warm manner.

She enthusiastically waved back before turning to the left and moving into the next large room full of offices, other minor rooms and some comfortable seats in the centre. Many employees, both men and women, were currently hanging out and getting a rest. A few had gathered near the coffee machine, whereas some others had opted for standing next to the water dispenser or sitting and chatting with a steamy mug in the centre of the sector. From distance, at the beginning of the hall, Hilda scanned the place carefully.

Her jaw fell ajar and her blue eyes grew painfully in disbelief. There stood Ingo in front of his office door, the last one at the end of the huge room, talking closely to a young woman with long, unfastened hair and a tiny black purse hanging from her shoulder. Upon confirming the woman's identity, the rage gradually taking over Hilda's self-reliance reached its peak. The frustrated teen clenched both fists tightly at her sides and her blood boiled beneath her skin to the point of burning veins. _Damn girly waitress!_ Just what the bloody hell was that freaking woman doing in there? Only a person had the sick right to stalk Ingo like that, and that person had to be Hilda by law. Grunting to herself, the girl watched the two of them attentively like a hawk.

The Subway Boss's face wasn't totally angled toward Hilda, meaning he obviously couldn't see the shaky trainer, but she easily noticed the tiny yet sparkling smile tugging at the corner of his lips. And also the waitress' wanton intentions. Helena would occasionally take the opportunity to shamelessly lean closer for an instant, then lean backwards again, bat her long eyelashes several times and repeat the pattern constantly, always flashing her most seductive smile. Sometimes, instead of batting her eyelashes, the waitress would cross her ankles and clasp both hands behind her back, fiddle with the hem of her tight, white shirt or brush a strand of long, blonde hair from her face. Hilda narrowed her gaze and kept staring, wishing she was able to interpret their words. Into her eyes, that waitress resembled some Pokémon in heat desperately searching for a mate and Ingo looked like a helpless prey, unaware that he was about to get ravished right there in front of his co-workers.

Still visibly oblivious to the hungry stare Helena was giving him, he carried on with the conversation. Hilda twitched a little after feigned to spin around, but she sighed mentally when the man moved to the side as if he was anxious to leave, his back almost facing her to the fullest. Of course, the man in black had to ruin it by going on casually. _Come on, stop talking to her already! Shoo her! KICK HER AWAY!_ The girl's knuckles turned white and she took a firm step forward, trying to see Helena's expression from above his shoulder. As it was expected, the blonde actually caught a glimpse of her, but she instinctively blocked Hilda out of her sight once again. A delicate chuckle came out from the woman's mouth. Hilda watched hatefully, growing angrier and angrier and fully displeased with the waitress' focused stare and continuous eye-battling.

Just when Hilda began to think it couldn't get worse, she loosened up and her features twisted into the living picture of pure shock. Helena leant disturbingly close to Ingo, and he made a mild move that put his back to face the trainer completely. Hilda unclenched both fists as Helena stretched to match the man's height. Her heartbeat decreased. Time started running slow.

_No. No, no, no, no, NO. _

With just a second of the compromising position that came afterward, Hilda got enough. She shuffled out the hall and burst out directly to the main rooms of the Gear Station, not halting to apologize for accidentally elbowing a passing kid and knocking off his cap. She wiped the tears harshly with the back of her wrist and kept running at full speed. She dashed out the building and into Nimbasa, but she didn't slow down.

There was no mistake. Those two had kissed right there in front of her eyes, and Hilda couldn't help feeling betrayed.


End file.
